You Called?
by OCfan11
Summary: AKA: The Demon Summoning AU No One Asked For, where Ruby saves the world by befriending every person who wants to ruin it.
1. Chapter 1: Ruby the Kindergartener

Chapter One: Ruby the Kindergartener

The little girl frowns at the lesson her teacher is giving. It almost sounds like the woman pacing back and forth is angry at the topic. But why should she be? Teacher has never been angry to teach something before. Not even numbers; and Yang once told her that the teacher never liked sitting down and doing numbers with the class.

Ruby's frown turns into more of a pout as the teacher lists things off. It all sounds wrong. These can't be signs someone is a demon. Sometimes Ruby's aunt's friends have black eyes. Sometimes her uncle turns into an animal. Sometimes Yang makes things burn when she's angry.

And besides, why should she stay away from demons?

Ruby doesn't interrupt, because teacher doesn't like it when people interrupt. There is an obvious conclusion to the rant that Ruby sticks up her hand and waves, like a few other kids.

"-don't _ever_ break a summoning shape. Yes, Mr. Oran?"

"What happens when if you break a summoning circle?"

"Summoning _shape_ , Mr. Oran, because not all demons use the common circle. If you break it," the teacher gets a dark look on her face, "very bad things will happen. Ask the librarian for some resources on the aftermath of circle breaks, if you are interested. Ms. Rose?"

The teacher will get in trouble by the librarian for directing curious kids to them, but not as much trouble as she'll get in later for her answer to Ruby's question. "What if they are a good demon? Can we talk to them?"

"I'm sorry, Ms. Rose, but there are no good demons."

If there was such a thing as luck, then it would be pure luck that Qrow is the one picking the girls up from school that day.

"Why the sad face, kiddo?" he asks, ruffling his youngest niece's hair.

"My teacher today said all demons are bad," Ruby mutters, kicking a rock. She doesn't see her uncle stiffen or her sister's face flash with fear. "Is that true, uncle Qrow?"

"'Course not," Qrow drawls, fake smile plastered on his face. The girls relax. "And if they were, you've got us hunters to protect you."

"Nuh uh," Yang taunts, punching the air. "We're the ones who will protect you!"

"Maybe against the small fry," Qrow ruffles her hair, making the blonde's eyes turn red as she attempts to punch him. "Too slow!"

Something in Ruby's head won't let it go. Her uncle must have known; whether by the look in the girl's eyes or something else entirely, she doesn't know. He stays for dinner that night; a rare occurrence since she does know he doesn't like staying in one place for too long.

"Mum? Are demons bad?"

Taiyang chokes on his meal while Qrow pauses, food above plate. Yang drops her fork and stares at her sister, fear hinting at her gaze. Summer has gone very silent, hand clenched around her knife.

"…Most are," Summer says quietly, ignoring the pissed-off glare Qrow sends her way. "It's important not to think of demons in terms of good and bad, though. They aren't people, so good and bad doesn't apply to them."

"There _are_ good demons," Qrow says hotly. He ignore Taiyang's attempt to stop the argument about to happen. "Danny saved your life, Summer. Are you saying she isn't a person?"

Yang jumps to her feet, eyes wide. "Wait a second. Aunt Danny is a demon?"

"Qrow," Taiyang groans.

"What?" their uncle protests. "They have a right to know." He turns to the girls, ignoring the parents protesting and demanding her leave. "Your aunt's runaway house really is for everyone."

"That's not funny," Yang protests, shaking.

Ruby just tilts her head. "But… that means she was summoned, right?"

"Don't, Qrow," Taiyang warns, jerking the man back into his seat.

"She's one of my best friends," Qrow hisses, red eyes locking on Summer's white ones. "She was your friend too, once."

Summer looks down in shame.

"Get off, Tai," Qrow sighs, shaking the man off. "I'm taking the kids to their aunt's house this weekend to get this sorted. You're welcome to come, like you always are."

The parents try to talk the kids out of going. Ruby, though excited, picks up on just how scared she older sister is at the thought of facing their fun aunt. The young girl can't understand how her sister went from loving time with their aunt to being afraid. When she asks, Yang replies with a quick, "I don't know any nice demons. Are you sure you want to go?"

Ruby does, and understands Yang doesn't hide the day their uncle comes to pick them up because the older sister is doing this to protect the younger girl. Still, the redhead is practically bouncing in excitement. It dims slightly when she realizes they are talking a transport plane to their aunt's house. "She isn't picking us up?"

"Your aunt didn't think you'd appreciate her showing off her semblance," Qrow answers.

Yang sighs in relief, but Ruby frowns. They already know their aunt can teleport. This seems like a waste of time, not getting to the house as soon as possible. Two hours by plane, and then another two hours by bike, to a young girl feels like forever.

But forever ends and they reach the house in the middle-of-nowhere-forest, Vale. Their aunt doesn't come to greet them, but that doesn't damper Ruby's spirits. The small girl ignores her sister's call for her to wait and uses her semblance to run to the door. She knocks a lot, and then waits impatiently for their aunt to open the door.

"Are you really a demon?" Ruby asks in a hurry, cutting off her aunt's hello.

The short, frail looking woman freezes in place. Blue eyes shift from the small girl, to the scared blonde, and finally to the resigned man. "I am now." Then she shifts, smiling like nothing is wrong, like she isn't scared, and opens the door wider. "It's good to see you girls. Qrow. There are cookies just coming out of the oven, if you want some."

Ruby squeals and runs to the kitchen. Yang follows, glaring at her aunt as she stalks after her sister.

"How are you holding up?" Qrow asks, keeping an eye on his former partner.

"As well as I can," Danny replies, eyes trailing after the girls. "Do we _really_ have to do this?"

"Scared of the tots?"

"Scared of what comes after."

"How are you a demon now, but not before?" Ruby asks through a mouthful of crumbs. Yang holds her cookie like a weapon until her uncle sits down and eats on. "Did someone summon you? Can you do really cool magic stuff?"

"Remember to breath, Ruby," her aunt laughs, taking out another sheet of cookies. Stress baked goods line the counters. "I didn't mean to become a demon, yes, and sort of."

"How can you not mean to become a demon?" Yang asks moodily. "You either are or you aren't."

"Doesn't quite work that way," Qrow pipes up, waving his cookie through the air. "Most demons are born, sure. But halves like me can become full-fledged if we have enough people worshipping us."

"You're a half-demon?" Yang says, going pale. Her eyes get impossibly wide. "What about your sister?"

Ruby is the only one not to pause at the question. "You have a sister, uncle Qrow?"

"Yah," Qrow says slowly, putting the cookie on the counter and glaring holes at it. "I do."

"Wow," Danny says with a small laugh. "It's all really going to come out today.

"Alright, so, before anyone interrupts, most demons aren't bad people. I'm sure if there were nicer summoners in the world, then the horror stories wouldn't have been so bad. Now, having said that, don't expect a demon to be excited to see you unless you know them. I love you girls, and I would never do anything to hurt either of you. Yang, you aren't bad if you are a demon, or are related to a demon. What makes you will always be you."

"But I still have demon blood, don't I?" Yang says, burying her head in her hands.

Ruby blinks in interest.

"Laws don't consider you a demon offspring," Qrow drawls, clenching and unclenching his fists. "Raven wasn't a full demon before you were born, and your father is completely human, like Danny was."

"Wait," Ruby blinks, completely ignoring the fact that Yang isn't her full-blood sister; she already knew. "Humans can become demons?"

Danny makes a face. "Order of inheritance. Sometimes a demon's power is controlled by balancing magic. The magic split and I got half and then I, erm… _accidently_ killed the demon that had the other half of the magic. And voila, your aunt's now a demon."

Yang looks more relaxed now, knowing her aunt was once human. She slips out of her chair and hugs the woman.

"Does that mean aunty can't be summoned?" Ruby asks her uncle, confused and letting the other two have their moment.

"She currently is summoned," Qrow answers, a small smile aimed her way. "Until we found out her demon status, her brother used to summon her."

"Uncle Toby can summon?" Ruby crinkles her nose in disbelief. "But he's not a hunter."

"You don't need to be a hunter or huntress to summon demons," Danny says, amused. She shoos Yang back to her seat before she starts handing out drinks. "You don't even need an active aura. It's all about symbols and intent."

"The stronger the will, the stronger the demon," Qrow says, mocking saluting with his drink. "Took me one try to summon your aunt."

"You were stupid," the woman deadpans.

"One try," he taunts.

"Your uncle used a basic circle to try and summon me," Danny explains to the lost girls. She throws him a glare. "He's just lucky I was listening, because he _should_ have gotten a random demon."

"So, anyone can summon you?" Ruby asks, worried.

"No," Danny smiles softly and taps the table. "When I'm here, in this side of Remnant, only those with my sigil and name can summon me. When I'm in the demon side of Remnant, anyone can summon me if they have my sigil or if I answer a simple summon request."

"What about if they force you through?" Yang asks, thinking back to her friends talking about their parents summoning techniques. "Do you, like, break out of the summon shape?"

"I probably wouldn't be too happy, but I wouldn't be able to break out," Danny explains, playing with a cookie. "Only the summoner can break the circuit, _but_ ," she waves a finger at them, " _never_ go inside a summoning circuit. And don't break the circuit if you don't trust the demon inside."

"Isn't that mean though?" Ruby pouts.

"How do you break a… circuit?" Yang asks.

"Sometimes you don't have time for a shape, so just make a circuit," Danny explains. "Just smudging the line should work to break it, or blowing out a candle if you're into that type of summoning. And Ruby, it may seem mean, but not every demon will want to be your friend. You should really only let a demon out if you trust them with your life."

Yang opens and closes her mouth a few times before she decides on a question. "Uncle Qrow, aunt Danny… who's got control over you now?"

"Not a full demon, kiddo," Qrow says with a smirk, messing her hair. She growls at him and tries to attack his hand. "Got to be faster if you're going to catch me."

"Qrow's my summoner at the moment," their aunt says, bemused.

"Does that mean he can make you do anything?" Yang asks, shock breaking her away from attacking her uncle.

"I trust that he won't make me do something I don't want to do," Danny replies with a shrug. "But yes, he could if he really wanted to. If I didn't want him as my summoner, I'd just pop back to the demon side until someone else called."

Yang frowns. "Doesn't staying here take a lot of en-"

"Could we summon a demon?" Ruby asks, jumping up in her chair. Qrow is quick to grab her before she falls. "I want to prove to my teacher that demons aren't all bad!"

"Oh?" Danny raises her eyebrows, gaze flickering to the man. "So that's how this all started, huh?" He nods sharply back. "Why don't I just come to your class on Monday?"

"You're uncle Qrow's summon!" Ruby says, horrified at the thought. "I don't want to take you from him."

The adults laugh, much to the kids' confusion. Yang jumps to her feet, frustrated. "Why are you laughing? Ruby's just being polite about it!"

"We know," Danny chuckles, coming down from her amusement. "And, if it's alright with your uncle, I'll teach you the basics of summoning under two conditions."

"Hey, I'm all for this," Qrow waves off their expectant stares. "It's why I brought you here. Better to experiment supervised then to screw around later."

Danny's cough sounds suspiciously like 'hypocrite' but she smiles at the kids and tells them to finish eating and meet her out back. When they eventually rush out, she's drawing symbols on the concrete of a make-shift basketball court. "The first condition I have to teaching you is that you mustn't do any of this yourself until I tell you. Agreed?"

They chorus their 'yes'.

"I mean it, girls," Danny warns, brushing chalk off her hands. "You can't do this at home, on the school yard, or anywhere you think you can. Only in this backyard and only if I supervise."

"Understood," Yang says with a mock salute. Ruby jumps to attention and copies her sister.

"The second condition," Danny kneels down in front of them, pale and serious. "Never make a deal with a demon. Even if you think your life depends on it."

"Isn't that the saying, though," Yang jokes. "Don't make a deal with a demon."

"It is, and for good reason." Danny stands and flicks her wrist. A new piece of chalk appears and she goes back over to drawing symbols. "You shouldn't ever have to make a deal, but make sure the ratio of humans to demons in the room is three to one if you ever start considering one."

"Why?"

"They'll talk you out of it," Qrow says humorously.

"I am going to get in so much trouble for this," Danny says, smile bright on her face. "One of you needs to come over here, the other go stand with your uncle." She barely blinks and Ruby is standing before her. The woman holds up a piece of chalk. "I'm going to draw a circle, and then you're going to sit down at that symbol. Got it?"

Ruby confirms and watches with wide eyes as her aunt's lines seem to mold into a perfect circle. The young girl buzzes with energy and practically dives to the ground when the circle connects.

"I'm going to sit behind you, alright?" Danny asks. Ruby nods quickly and shifts until she's tucked up against her aunt's chest. "This is a simple request circle. We're only looking to say hi to a demon, nothing more. I'm going to pour some energy through you to start the circle, so you know what it feels like, alright?"

"Yep!" Ruby chirps, hands clenching in her lap in excitement.

"Remember Ruby, we're only going to say hi." Danny places her hands firmly on the girl's shoulders. "Focus on the circle, and think about how you would only like to meet a demon for a quick chat."

Ruby's mind goes a mile a minute as she focuses on the center sigil with a single-focus glare. She repeats to herself over and over that she just wants to say hello and meet a friendly demon. She feels a slow trickle over her body, and it feels like the build-up before her semblance activates. Ruby squirms, growing more and more anxious the longer it grows. Then the energy switches and flows out of her body, towards the circle. She couldn't replicate minute energy release, and has no idea how her aunt has enough control to let it out without making it touch the edge of the circle. It should be impossible for non-hunters.

"Are you ready?" Danny whispers next to her ear.

"Yes," Ruby squeaks, eyes wide.

"Remember, just to say hello."

There isn't much of a difference when the energy touches the circle's edge. Ruby waits and waits and… nothing. She reminds herself that it's just a hello. She just wants to say hello to someone. Just a nice, friendly, hello.

There's a few more second of peace.

The air sucks from her lungs. Ruby would have collapsed in on herself if not for her aunt holding her shoulders. Ruby heaves a few breathes, and then the leftover energy fills her muscles and eases her into normal breathing. In her shock, she almost misses the black, men's shoes in the middle of the circle.

"We-huh-elll," drawls a man's voice above the ladies. "Isn't _this_ interesting."

Ruby can feel her aunt sigh behind her. Exasperated, the woman greets him. "Hello Torchwick."

"Hello to you too, Spring Time," the man drawls. Ruby looks up when a cane in planted in the ground. The demon's one visible dark green eye stares at her with unabashed curiosity. "And who might this young snot be?"

Ruby pouts automatically and goes to tell him, but her aunt covers her mouth and answers instead. "This is my niece. Rubes, this is the current leader of Beacon's underground dust trade. Which begs the question; what are you doing answering to non-summons, Torchwick?"

"Can you blame a guy for being curious, Spring?" he replies, eye flickering to the woman and then back to Ruby. "It's not every day a person is so _nice_ as to ask for a simple hello."

Ruby doesn't think of shrinking under the eye that appears to look through her. One of her hand sticks out as she stares in awe. The demon raises an eyebrow, smiling growing even as Danny carefully pulls the girl's hand back.

"First summon, eh?" the man goes to bend down, but thinks twice at the low growl coming from the male half-demon a dozen feet away. "Word of advice, you don't want to go shaking a demon's hand, Red. Trust me; it's not worth tempting us."

"My name isn't red," Ruby pouts again.

" _Uh_ , does it _look_ like I care?" Torchwick scoffs and turns his attention back to Danny. "You got a real nuisance for a niece, Spring. Better be sure to keep an eye on this one."

Ruby tries to turn when she hears her uncle growling.

"Better keep an eye on him, too," Torchwick grumbles, going a bit paler. "Was there anything else you needed, or can I go back to work?"

Her aunt chokes on a laugh. "Right, because you're so busy now."

"What about you?" he throws back. "I can just _see_ you working _oh_ so hard."

"It's autumn," Danny says easily. "I'm on break."

"Oh, _sure_ you-"

"Are you really a demon?" Ruby breaks in.

Both Roman and Danny stare at the girl. A few seconds pass before her aunt starts cackling. Ruby blinks innocently, looking between her hysterical aunt and the disgruntled man. When Danny starts to calm down, she takes one look at Torchwick's face and starts laughing all over again.

"Does this answer your question?" Torchwick hisses, snapping his fingers and lighting his hand on fire.

Ruby stares, unimpressed. "Not really. I know a lot of people who can do that."

Danny starts laughing all over again.

"Look here you little snot," Torchwick starts to bend down again, only to straighten at Qrow's warning growl. "I mean, little brat. I am a demon. I am one of the _nicest_ demons you'll ever meet in Vale, Spring Time over there not included. You do _not_ want to test me."

"Send Neo next time," Danny manages to gasp out. She coughs a few times to clear her chest. "Unless we can get your help to scare some tots in Rubes' class this Monday."

"Wait, that's why I was summoned?" Torchwick scoffs and looks down at the girl. "What did they do, call you names, Red?"

"My teacher said there aren't any good demons."

He blinks for a few seconds, and then turns to Danny with a scowl. "That's it?"

"That's it," Danny agrees, leaning forward with a wide grin. "And Rubes wants to be able to summon someone to show that there are good demons in the world."

Torchwick rolls his eyes. "And she can't summon you. Why not just summon one of the kiddies you're so fond of?"

"Everyone is in another territory right now," Danny admits with a shrug. "She's not calling over multiple borders for her first summon. And I was curious who'd answer her call."

"I'll come," Torchwick sighs. "And if I can't, Neo will be there to surprise the class."

"That's all I ask," Danny says, smiling slipping into a dangerous expression.

Torchwick gulps and then smiles rather softly at Ruby. The girl's taken aback by the mood change towards her. "Your aunt will show you my sigil. And when you want me to come, just say my name."

"-." Ruby wouldn't have thought her aunt said anything if her chest didn't move like she was speaking. "You don't have to do this."

"Aw, but the kid has spunk," Torchwick says, bending slightly over his cane so he can get a better look. "And I'm safe from her as long as I'm in the circle. Wha'do ya say, Red. Want to learn my name?"

Ruby wants to nod. She wants to say yes. Her aunt traps her head and covers her mouth. "- Torchwick."

"You're no fun, Danny," the man sighs and traps Ruby's gaze with his green eyes. "Do you want to learn my name for free, Rubes was it?"

"Yes," Ruby squeaks when her aunt removes her hand.

"My name," the demon says softly, almost fondly, "is _Roman Torchwick_. I look forward to working with you, little Red."

And then the circle is empty.

"Congratulations, Ruby," Danny says with a groan, stretching her legs and getting up. "You now have the name of one of the best arsonists in Vale."

"Arsonist?"

"He likes to set things on fire." Her aunt helps her up. "Go tell your uncle and sister everything. I'll set up the next circle for Yang."

Ruby then notices that there is nothing on the ground. It's almost as if all the chalk was blown away. That's when it really sets in that _she just summoned a demon_.

Her mother's going to kill her.

Her mother's going to kill her _aunt_.

"Are you alright, Ruby?" Qrow asks as soon as she runs over to him. He gets down on a knee and checks her over.

Buzzing with energy and _Ijustsummonedademon_ feelings, Ruby recounts everything with wide eyes and a wider smile. Little by little, her sister and uncle relax. Yang throws her arms around the smaller girl and cries that she's so happy it all worked out.

When Danny calls the elder girl over, Ruby latches onto her uncle and finishes telling the story. When she says the demon's name, _Roman Torchwick_ , her uncle picks her up and hugs her close.

"If he hasn't given his full name to someone, then they can't hear it," Qrow explains. "So just call him Torchwick, alright?"

Ruby agrees and turns in his arms to watch Yang's summoning. It feels strange, watching and knowing that any second a person could just appear in the newly made summoning circuit.

It's another male demon. Ruby stubbornly thinks Torchwick was better looking than Yang's guy.

"That's Junior," Qrow whispers almost inaudibly. "He's Vale's number one information collector, and great with explosions."

"Do you know everyone in Vale?" Ruby asks quietly. She waits, feeling the strange rumbling in her uncle's chest as he growls when Junior goes to kneel.

"Not quite," Qrow whispers before baring his teeth when Junior glances over. The half-demon chuckles, amused at how fast the demons have submitted at the sight of him. "Your aunt knows everyone, sigils and all."

"Was aunt Danny going to be a summoner before she got demon-fied?"

"No," Qrow sighs softly. "She was going to be a huntress. She was almost certified, even though she's a demon. There was a family emergency here and she had to drop out after her second year."

Ruby doesn't get the chance to ask what happened because Yang's summoning finishes without much fanfare. The blonde shoots out of her aunt's lap and runs to the younger girl and her uncle, chatting excitedly about how she got the man's summoning sigil and how he's offered to appear in her class to demonstrate demon summoning.

 _I got my demon's name_ , Ruby thinks with glee. Even on Sunday night, when the girls return home with a few books on types of demons and mythology that their aunt lends them, and their parents are stopped from confiscating them by Qrow, does her glee not end. She falls asleep reading about fire demons, and dreams about having a list of names entrusted to her. _Roman Torchwick_ is at the top.

She wonders what her aunt's real name is.

Her aunt substitutes Monday classes, much to Ruby's surprise. The woman homeschools kids from time to time, but Ruby never thought she'd see her here. Eventually, lunch rolls around and her aunt offers to show demon summoning to anyone that wants to see it. After firmly dissuading that demon summoning isn't bad, just not something people should do often as it annoys a lot of demons, her aunt sets up an oval with a fanged face-like sigil in the middle. She calls Ruby over and tells her to whisper the name while thinking about the demon the name belongs to.

Ruby thinks of the dark green eye and bright orange hair. She thinks about how nice the man looked when he wasn't sneering or trying to be tough. She thinks about the cane and black dress shoes.

" _Roman Torchwick_."

"You called?" smirks the man, leaning forward on his cane.

There are a lot of squeals and screams through the class, but his gaze doesn't stray away from the bright gaze of the small girl who summoned him. He almost scoffs at how soft he's getting. What happened to the man that was beat down by the Spring demon for his name. Judging by Danny's look, she's wondering the same thing.

Ruby bounces on her toes, excited that it worked. Danny goes through the list of things to do and not to do around demons. Torchwick adds his sarcasm every now and then, and then shows off by lighting his hand on fire. The audience of five year olds eat it up.

" _See_ , Red?" Torchwick cackles and starts playing with fire. "That's how you're _supposed_ to act."

Ruby puffs her cheeks and pouts at him. "I still say that's not impressive."

Torchwick's eye alights at the challenge. Danny turns and glares. "Hey Candlestick, don't you dare."

He smirks at her.

Then his whole body is on fire.

"Alright," Ruby huffs at his expectant look, ignoring the screams of her classmates. "That's sort of cool."

"Just sort of?" the demon huffs. "You little snot, I'm just warming up."

It takes barely thirty seconds before a passing teacher notices the man on fire and pulls the emergency alarm bell. Torchwick leaves with a wink just before said teacher runs back in with a fire extinguisher. Danny tries to calm down both the teacher and the kids, while Ruby pouts at the spotless floor left after the demon's departure.

Even though he got her in trouble with her parents later – her aunt was in _so much more_ trouble with them – Ruby still likes the demon guy. _Roman Torchwick_. She only hopes Yang has more luck with her class and Junior tomorrow.

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I have no rights to RWBY. All rights belong to their respective owners.**

 **A/N: Hope people enjoyed this**


	2. Chapter 2: Ruby the Pauper

Chapter Two: Ruby the Pauper

"You girls will be good for your aunt, right?" Taiyang asks jovially, hiding his panic well. "And you'll remind her, no sweets before bed?"

"Come on, dad," Yang whines. "Don't be a bummer."

"Hey, I'm just looking out for you," he defends, ushering them towards the doorway. "You'll thank me when you don't have to get any teeth removed at the dentist."

"Wait, what?" Yang yelps, Ruby echoing her statement.

"Thanks for that," Danny drawls in front of the door. "Don't worry, girls, you won't lose teeth as long as you brush your teeth like your mother tells you."

"But five minutes of brushing is gross," Ruby complains.

"Hey," Taiyang gets down on a knee and hugs them. "You know what; eat as much junk food as you want. We can blame it all on your aunt."

"I feel loved," Danny says flatly, hiking the girl's travel bags further up her back. "Sure you don't want a ride, Tai?"

"I'm good," he glances towards the shed. "Thanks Danny."

"Any time," she shrugs and holds out her hands for the kids. "You girls ready to go? I don't want my guest burning down my house while I'm gone."

"Is it Torchwick?" Ruby asks, excitedly bounding up to grab her hand.

"Nope."

"Junior?" asks Yang, taking her other hand.

"Nuh, uh," Danny smiles gently pulls them closer. "Say bye to your father, girls." They do. "Okay, now breathe out in three, two one-"

Ruby shudders a little at the scenery change. Her aunt releases her hand and opens the door to her house for them. "Fall! We're back!"

"Danny," a smooth voice answers. Ruby blinks and looks up as heels click into the main foyer. The young woman in an elegant red dress stops short at the sight of them. A small smile lifts at the corner of the woman's lips and she raises an eyebrow. "Hello."

"You remember me telling you about me nieces?" Danny says, a hint of warning in her tone neither young girl picks up on. Fall nods her head. "This is Yang, and that's Ruby."

"I love your dress," Ruby says, skipping forward to get a better view.

"Thank you," Fall replies, twitching like she is about to move downward but resists. "I like your cape."

Ruby beams up a gleeful smile, and Yang cautiously moves behind her sister to ask, "How do you know our aunt?"

"She offers a safe house to those that need it," Fall replies smoothly. Then huffs quietly and offers a crooked smile. "Or a vacation house, which is why I'm here."

"Fall's been overwhelmed with work this season," Danny says, striding into the kitchen knowing the girls will follow. "Too many things going on on both sides of the world, so I'm letting her relax here for the day."

"Just the day?" Ruby pouts, shoulders slumping in defeat.

Fall laughs, the sound deep and rich. The younger girls feel their eyes lid for the second with lethargy before they shake it off. "I would stay longer if I could," Fall says, taking a seat at the counter and sipping from her wineglass. "Though, as your aunt said, there is too much to do."

"What do you do?" Yang asks, taking the help from her aunt to sit at the counter. Ruby comes up beside the blonde, already reaching for the plate of cookies.

Fall hums and holds up a hand. Flames sprout from the palm, startling the girls. They watch the lights lick and dance through the air in awe. "A bit of everything. Right now my job is to keep the season running in the demon side."

The girls look over with obvious confusion. Yang is the one to ask though. "There are seasons in the demon part of the world?"

"Oh yes," the woman purrs, snuffing out the flames by making a fist. She shakes her hand to let out the smoke and rests her head on the back of her other hand. "All that fire and brimstone doesn't burn by itself."

The blonde gulps.

"She's joking," Danny assures her nieces. "Really, it's more of a power shift. With each season comes a shift in power to the demons in certain territories. There's a lead demon who's supposed to ease the power shifting, and Fall is the lead demon in autumn since this is her season."

The dark haired demon looks almost angrily at the woman. "You're very lucky I don't narc on friends, Danny."

"Oh, Slippers," Danny coos, sliding the wine bottle over. Fall tips a healthy dose into her glass. "You wouldn't tell on me under torture."

Fall scoffs and chugs her drink. "We'll see about that."

Danny goes to say something, but closes her mouth with a hard snap when a ringtone echoes through the room. The woman frowns and slips out her scroll. "Sorry, ladies, I have to take this." Her mouth slightly blurs and no sound comes out of it as she says the woman's real name. -, don't try anything."

The dark haired demon rolls her eyes and pours more wine. She turns to the girls once Danny's gone. "I'm sorry you have to live with her."

"Auntie's not so bad," Yang shrugs and nibbles on her snack. "Are you a full demon?"

"Born and raised on the other side," Fall says, mouth creasing before smoothing in a perfect smile. "How about you children?"

"We're not supposed to tell you anything," Yang says lightly, but with a hard edge to her smile.

"Your aunt did say she was teaching you the basics to demon summoning," Fall says sourly. "I take it one of you is the reason Candlestick started cutting back his operations."

"Torchwick?" Ruby asks, perking up. Yang face-palms at the pleased smile that crosses Fall's face. "How is he doing?"

"I'm sure you can ask him next time you summon him," Fall taps her perfectly manicured nails on the counter.

"Ooo," Ruby coos, eyes going to the woman's fingers. "I really love that colour!"

Fall pauses and blinks. She inclines her head, dark hair sweeping around her face. "Thank you."

"My mum has lots of reds," Ruby nods to herself. Yang just rests her head in her arms and pretends the exchange isn't happening. "Sometimes we sneak her polish 'cause she won't let us paint our nails and aunty doesn't care about that stuff."

"Why would your parent not like you painting your nails?" Fall asks, truly curious.

"She says it's a trivial thing we shouldn't need to worry about," Yang answers, lifting her head and gazing sourly at the demon. "And most of her polish is dust infused so…"

Fall hums in understanding. "It is hard to master control over dust polish. I'm rather partial to it in clothing, but everyone has different tastes."

Danny comes in then, and almost bewildered expression on her face as she looks around the kitchen, scroll still in her hand. "I'm sorry, girls, but we have to do some jumping around for the rest of the day."

"Why?" Fall asks first.

The almost scandalized expression turns to the dark haired demon. "I'm pretty sure Frosty's dead."

Fall straightens impeccably. She leans forward, fists clenched on the counter, as she tries to glare holes through Danny. "What makes you believe that?"

Danny waves her scroll before pocketing it. "I just got a call from a friend in Atlas. A kid they know collapsed and went into what _might_ be a magic coma."

"Now that," Fall purrs, standing up with an irritated expression, "is interesting. Thank you for having me, Danny."

"Any time," Danny waves her off. "Good luck dealing with that mess."

Fall nods and half turns to the girls. "It was lovely meeting you, Ruby and Yang. I wish you the best luck this fall season." And then she's gone.

"Aunty?" Yang asks, nervously. "Someone's dead?"

"Er, maybe?" Danny flinches at her own answer and hurries over to the kids with a smile on her face. "I won't lie to you, it's not looking good at the moment, but until I see that condition the other kid's in I don't know for sure."

"So let's go," Ruby urges, latching onto her aunt. The woman staggers and then cradles the girl to her chest. "Come on Yang!"

"Where are we going?" Yang asks, jumping down from her seat and grabbing her aunt's hand.

"Well," their aunt pauses and looks with faint amusement between the girls. "Don't tell your parents, but our first stop is Atlas."

The girls look up in disbelief.

"Isn't that a continent or something?" Ruby grumbles.

"And, like, days of travelling?" Yang asks, growing excited. "Can you really teleport that far?"

"Like I said," their aunt winks. "Don't tell your parents. Now, breathe out in three, two, one-"

If anything, this teleport is smoother than the last. The girls blink and start shivering, gazing in awe at all the snow around them.

"I knew Atlas was the coldest continent," Yang chatters, following closely as her aunt strides through an empty courtyard to a large mansion door. "But I didn't _snow_ spect it would be this cold."

"It's only fall," Ruby stutters, hugging her aunt closer for warmth. "Why is there snow?"

"If you can believe it," Danny drawls her mirth, "the demon side is colder."

"No way!"

The woman laughs and uses the giant knocker on the door, making the thuds echo through the still air. The ladies don't have time to reply as they are answered right away buy a man with a white suit and a gun at his hip. The stiff expression on his face fades to relief. "Danny."

"Hey, James," their aunt brings them inside, where it's not entirely warmer. "Ruby, Yang, this is James Ironwood. James, is there any way to get a warm blanket or something for the girls? It's freezing in here."

He nods curtly while Yang tugs at her aunt's hand, staring with wide eyes at the man. The little girl can't help but ask, "Is that the Jimmy uncle Qrow talks about?"

Danny laughs and confirms much to the man's displeasure. Ruby looks at him; the little sixth sense telling her he's completely human. If her uncle's stories are correct, then he's a hunter that 'sold out' to the military. The way the man holds himself certainly looks painfully stiff, just like what her uncle describes the military to be.

"I can take the girls to the young Ms. And Mr. Schnee," a voice pipes up, making Ruby squeak. She frowns at the conflicting signals her sense tells her; that he's more demon than her uncle but not as demon as her aunt. The man's eyes change colours and he smirks. "And find them something warmer to wear."

"Thank you, Klein," James Ironwood says stiffly. He waits until Danny has encouraged the girls to follow the butler before he starts moving to the large staircase. "Winter is this way."

Ruby stops when she notices her aunt stops. Yang pulls on her, before getting too interested in their aunt's reply to keep moving. "Her name is not Winter."

"It is," James replies slowly. "Why?"

Danny's hands claw as she attempts to strangle the air in front of her. "That's like staring fate in the eye and saying 'I dare you'. Why would anyone- you know what, no. Nope. Lead the way. Just know I'm only surprised this didn't happen earlier."

"What's she talking about?" Yang asks, pulling Ruby along faster to catch up with Klein waiting for them further ahead.

"Don't ask me," Ruby whines. "Mr. Klein, what's going on?"

"Yah, our aunt didn't tell us anything."

"Just Klein, my dears," the man says with a wink. His eyes change again; face growing solemn. "Ms. Winter Schnee has fallen ill these past few hours while out in the garden. Her mother has been inconsolable, so I'm taking you to room with Ms. Winter's younger siblings while your aunt looks Ms. Winter over."

"Klein," Yang lets out a strangled laugh, looking nervous. Ruby hugs her sister, unsure why the blonde would look ready to bolt. "Lay on me straight, dude. We aren't currently in _the_ Schnee manor in Atlas, are we?"

"You are," he answers, amused.

Yang lets out another laugh. Ruby frowns and tugs at her sister's shirt. "What's a Schnee?"

"Dust sellers," Yang sums up, patting her sister. Quietly, she mutters. "Uncle is going to throw a fit."

"Here we are," Klein says, motioning to a large wood door with fancy carvings. "There is a fireplace going in this room, and I shall be back soon with blankets."

The girls chorus their thanks and trot behind the man as he enters. A girl a bit smaller than Yang stands up from her chair and gracefully crosses the room with barely a glance at the newcomers. "Klein. Has there been any news on Winter?"

"I'm afraid not," Klein replies with honest sadness. "A possible healer has come, and these are the healer's nieces Ruby and Yang. Ladies, may I present to you Ms. Weiss Schnee and Mr. Whitely Schnee."

Weiss purses her lips together and stares down the girls. "Why are they here?"

"Sister," scolds a quiet voice. Weiss sneers over her shoulder at the boy just a little taller than Ruby. The boy stiffens and stills where he is, nodding to the girls. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"Hi!" Ruby waves.

"We didn't exactly want to be here," Yang says to the girl. The blonde puffs out her chest and tries to look intimidating. "How do you even stand this cold?"

Klein backs out when Weiss purses her lips and puffs her chest back. "It's not that cold, and you should be thrilled at seeing the inside of our manor."

"I'd rather be back at my aunt's house where it's warm and there are snacks."

"I'm sorry for my sister," Whitely says, sliding up beside Ruby. The girl yelps, having been distracted by the older girls. "She saw my other sister collapse and hasn't been in her right mind since."

Ruby pouts at the human, glancing at his arguing sister with a grimace. "I don't really blame her. I wouldn't be happy if Yang got hurt."

"Ah," the boy glances away, fists tightening before he looks back. "Well, if you are cold, would you like to come to the fireplace?"

"Please," Ruby sighs. She calls over to her sister, not noticing the boy's disappointed face when the older sisters turn. "Yang! Come over here and get warm!"

"This isn't over," Yang hisses through a mean smile, walking over and pulling her sister under her arm. She doesn't spare the white haired siblings a glance as she drags Ruby to the fire. "Oh, thank goodness it's warm!"

"I understand," Whitely says with a fake smile. He puts a pillow down near Ruby and sits on it, back to the fire. "Unfortunately, our heating has not been working since our poor sister collapsed."

"It wasn't Winter!" Weiss shouts, pointing an accusing finger at her brother. "There's no way she cause any of the problems today! She collapsed!"

"I never said it was," Whitely curls in on himself, glaring at her. "I'm merely pointing out the strange things that have happened since she fell unconscious."

"It's not the strangest thing we've heard," Ruby pipes up, looking worriedly between the Schnees. "I mean, there's still the crater near our aunt's house where aunt Mal blew up the first time."

"We use it as a skate park sometimes," Yang throws in. "There was a serpent Grimm that terrorized the waters around the island for a while. It used to roar at six o'clock every morning like a stupid rooster."

Whitely cracks a real smile, but Weiss keeps frowning and sneering at them. "Do you think this is funny? My sister is upstairs unconscious and no one knows what's wrong with her."

"We were just trying to take your mind off of it," Ruby mutters, tucking her knees to her chest. Whitely looks over and keeps staring, hoping she meets his gaze so he can reassure her. Ruby keeps looking into the fire.

Yang twists and glares right back at Weiss. "Our aunt will fix your sister and we'll be out of your hair soon enough, princess."

Weiss hums, looking down at them with scorn. "Excuse me if I don't believe a rustic is going to fix my sister when no one else could."

Yang jumps to her feet. "What did you say?"

"Weiss," Whitely snaps, getting to his feet and standing in front of Ruby, beside the red eyed blonde. "That uncalled for and rude. Their aunt came here to try and fix sister; you don't want her to leave before she's at least tried."

"Like you care," Weiss snaps at her brother, tears in her eyes. "You'd probably be happy if Winter never woke up."

"Auntie won't leave your sister," Ruby mutters, turning to peek through legs at Weiss. "She never leaves anyone, no matter how rude."

Weiss flushes and open and shuts her mouth when the door behind them all creaks. Klein holds it open while a small woman walks in. She thanks him, and then the butler nods to the children, "I am sorry for not coming with blankets."

"It's fine," Yang says tensely, throwing one more glare at Weiss before pulling her sister to their amused aunt. "Can we go now, aunty?"

"Yah," she holds their hands and looks sheepish. "We have two more stops to make, sorry girls."

"Klein," Weiss snaps and the adults look over at her. "Is there any news on Winter?"

"Your sister is now awake and eating," Klein says, and the little girl sags with relief. Whitely doesn't look as pleased, but keeps his face blandly polite. "I can take you both to see her, if you'd like."

"Yes, please," Weiss sniffs. She glances at the other girls, and falters. She starts and stops her sentence a few times before forcing out and apology.

"Yah, not forgiven," Yang glares back, tugging on her aunt's hand. "Aunty, please?"

"Alright," Danny raises her eyebrows and nods to the Schnees and Klein. "Have a great day, you lot."

"Wait," Whitely strides up to the departing guests, making Klein pause. Weiss seethes at the delay, but he holds his hand out to Ruby. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Ruby. I hope you come again soon."

"Oh," Ruby hesitantly takes his hand, confused when he turns it over and bows over it. "Um, thanks?"

He nods and turns to her sister, holding out his hand again. "Yang."

"Whatever," she grips his hand with crushing force and shakes it. He squeaks but otherwise nods. Then she turns to her aunt. " _Now_?"

"Of course," their aunt laughs and pulls them closer. "Breathe out in three, two, one-"

The change in temperature is shocking. Everywhere is warm and the sun beats down on them. The girls are lead over to the nearby staircase and told to sit while they adjust. Their aunt pulls out her scroll and starts texting.

"Where are we?" Yang groans, gladly taking the water her aunt pulls out.

"Menagerie," Danny replies, distracted.

"Oh come _on_ ," Yang groans while Ruby tries to remember where that is on the map.

"Isn't that an island where lots and lots of Faunus live in one place?" the redhead asks, confused.

"Yep," their aunt smiles at whatever reply she gets and pockets the scroll. "I wish I could show you girls more of this place, but we have to hurry to our next stop after this."

"We can always come back, can't we?" Ruby asks.

"We _could_ ," Danny draws out the word.

"…But?" Yang insists.

"You aren't supposed to be here without permission," says a woman behind them. The girls jump and whirl, gazing up at a cat eared woman with thick blonde hair. The woman smirks at their expressions and then turns her gaze to their aunt. "Danny."

"Abby!" their aunt runs up the stairs and jumps into the woman's open arms. Then the brunette hops back and motions between everyone. "Girls, this is my old teammate, Abigail. Abby, these are Tai's kids, Yang and Ruby."

"I remember when you were barely a two feet tall, Yang," the blonde woman replies, coming down the stairs and bending down to get a better look at them. "You're probably about as tall as my daughter now."

"Um, cool?" Yang leans back, weary.

The woman just laughs and stands. She motions that they all should head up the stairs to the house. "Bast is just summoning Wukong now. Will you be here after the meeting?"

Danny shakes her head sadly and helps the kids up the steps. "We're swinging by Vacuo after this."

Abigail raises her eyebrows. "Have you let Oz know?"

"Well…"

"I'll text him."

"You are an _angel_."

"And you owe me," Abigail waves after checking the time on her scroll. "By kids! Nice seeing you after all this time!"

"Bye!" Ruby calls while Yang just kind of waves.

"Who _was_ that?" Yang asks their aunt. "She seems really familiar."

"You probably recognize her from T.V.," their aunt answers, ushering them through the open door at the top. "Abigail is taking over the White Fang after her father retires. She's started making a lot of live appearances this past year."

"Much to her displeasure," says a woman shorter than Danny. She brushes her dark hair out of her eyes and smiles. "Hi there, I'm Kali, Abigail's sister."

"Hey Bast," Danny smiles, making the woman roll her eyes. "Aw, come on, you like hearing your first name."

"Not really," the woman drawls, cat ears flicking on her head. "Blake's keeping - company."

"I bet she appreciates that," Danny and Kali chuckle. "Come on, girls; you get to meet another demon today."

Ruby sprints to her aunt's side, making Kali laugh again. Yang hesitantly follows behind them, still not used to meeting demons she didn't summon. Kali assures the blonde that the young demon she's about to meet is very nice and not to worry.

"Oh, hey Danny!" an energetic voice calls. Ruby stops and gapes at the blond with a monkey tail standing tall in a large, circular summoning circle. Her instincts scream demon when she looks at him, and they quietly whisper human when she looks at the Faunus girl sitting on the bench beside the circle. This is her first time meeting a Faunus demon, and she just wants to ask him a bajillion questions. "I didn't know you were coming. Oh, and sorry I haven't visited in a while."

"It's actually good that you haven't," Danny replies slyly, walking up to the circle. Ruby keeps a firm grip on her aunt's hand, following every step. She meets the demon man's blue eyes and can see the moment they widen with interest and… _a spark of fear_? "I kind of need you to play messenger boy for me."

Ruby looks away from the demons when the cat ear girl on the bench gets up. The Faunus girl ignores the male demon's goodbye and walks over to Kali.

"Yah, sure," the demon man says, drawing Ruby's attention back to them. His longing expression at the Faunus girl changes into a fake smile when he glances between Danny and Ruby. "What's the message? And where's it going?"

"Frosty's dead," Danny says easily, small smile on her face. The demon man's face drops into shock and he just gapes at her. A small gasp comes from Kali. "And I need you to tell Catnip."

"Is she really?" the demon in the circle asks nervously. "I mean, I gave her at least another dozen years."

"She's dead," Danny nods. "And you can tell them I sent you."

"Thanks," he sighs in relief. He leans to the side and waves at the cat eared ladies. "It was nice seeing you again."

"You too," Kali says with a purr. The little girl ignores him.

"And, uh, nice to meet you?" the demon asks, looking between Yang and Ruby.

"These are my nieces," Danny says easily.

He snaps his fingers and points at her excitedly. "Right! Rubes and sun dragon!"

"Do you actually call me that?" Yang asks, aghast.

"It was nice to meet you two!" the demon man says excitedly. "I'm _Sun Wukong_! Call me if you need anything, or want to chat or something!"

"Thanks, Sun!" Ruby says, smiling winningly at him.

He blinks, and then smiles softly back at her. Shooting finger guns her way, he vanishes.

"Thank you, Kali," Danny says, letting Ruby watch the summoning circle disappear. "I appreciate you letting us call him here."

"It's no problem," the woman says, crossing her arms. "Now, did you tell my sister that the Winter demon is dead?"

"Well…"

"Danny," Kali groans, getting the attention of the younger Faunus. "You saw her on the way out."

"I can text her."

" _I_ can text her," Kali disagrees. "Now shoo. Go –wait. Have you told Griseo yet?"

"We're just heading there next," Danny swears, tapping Ruby on the shoulder. She motions for Yang to come over. "Thanks for having us over, however short the time it was."

"Always a pleasure," Kali smiles softly to the disbelief of the younger Faunus. She winks at the younger humans. "I've got first dibs on Sun."

"You're shameless," Danny laughs and blows kisses at the woman. "We've got to get outside before I can get us away, girls."

"Aunty, what just happened?" Yang asks.

"We got another name!" Ruby says, excited. "That makes three for both of us!"

Yang grimaces at the mention of the demon they joint summoned. She casts nervous glances around, as if just hinting might have called the woman to them.

"Mom," they can hear young Faunus speak as the door closes behind them. "Why did you let humans into the house?"

And then their aunt has teleported them to the entrance of a castle. The girls' gaping is cut short by half-a-dozen guards pointing spears at them.

"Hey everyone!" Danny yells, releasing her nieces to hold up her hands in surrender. "Sorry for coming unannounced, but I've got some important things to tell the king."

"King?" Yang asks.

Ruby looks up at her aunt. "You know royalty?"

"Settle down all of you," an older man barks, striding through the weapons. "Danny, why couldn't you have sent a notice?"

"It was kind of a sudden thing," the woman admits. "If it could have waited, I wouldn't have brought my nieces."

The old man starts and looks down, noticing the children. "Well, come along then. The faster you say your piece, the faster you can leave."

"Yes, sir," Danny chirps, throwing a wink to her nieces. "As you girls probably have guessed, I'm not the most popular here."

"That's a lie and you know it," a young teenager says, coming out of the shadows to walk with them. The bow on her head twitches when she looks at the girls. "I'm Uzi. Your aunt helped me with my broken semblance."

"I think I remember you," Yang says, eyebrows furrowing. Ruby can't place the girl, though. "You're- oh no. You're princesses Ophuzi, aren't you?"

"Good memory," the teen says with a sigh. "Yah…"

"You're Lupus' sister!" Ruby remembers. "How is he?"

"Still pining for you," Ophuzi says with a small smile. "He's been trying to train a hawk to send you messages. It's been the funniest thing; I'll slip you pictures later."

"Thanks!" Yang says, evil grin aimed towards her oblivious sister. "I'll send some embarrassing photos of Ruby next time she sends a letter."

"Yang!" Ruby whines while the other girls' high-five. The redhead doesn't have time to pout, as she catches sight of the boy they were talking about when they enter a giant room. She reaches up on her tiptoes and waves. "Hi Lupus!"

The wolf eared Faunus perks up and runs across the throne room to greet her. Danny rolls her eyes and lets the children have their reunion and she goes to the king by herself. "Hi Ruby!"

"Pining," Ophuzi whispers to a laughing Yang.

The children spend half an hour talking before Danny comes back and tells them they're done for the day. At the pouting and whining, she laughs and makes them swear to be back at the palace in an hour, because it's getting close to nighttime in Vale. When Ophuzi and Yang come back from their manicure, they find the younger kids talking – and in Ruby's case, drooling – about the weapons in the royal barracks.

"Are you planning on being a huntress, Ruby?" Ophuzi asks, sitting down on a nearby crate with Yang.

"Yes!" Ruby nods vigorously. "It's my number one dream! I want to be just like mum and dad and fight monsters and save people!"

Ophuzi hums. "Sounds heroic. You're doing demon summoning as well, correct?"

"Yah," Ruby fidgets, knowing where this is going because her parents went of the same topic, repeatedly.

"You do know you may need to fight the demons you meet?"

"I know," Ruby slouches her back further into Lupus' front, his hands coming around to hug her. "But I don't want to kill them. Only the Grimm. If I have to stop them, I'll just knock them out or something."

Ophuzi smiles softly. "That sounds like a worthy goal. I wish you the best of luck."

Lupus sighs and rests his head on Ruby's. "Don't be weird, sis."

"You're the weird one," Ophuzi says, her bow twitching. "And we really should get going before dad sends the guards."

The four say their goodbyes at the castle gate. Yang gets the embarrassing photos, tucking them away with a wide, knowing grin shared with Ophuzi. Her amusement dims when they appear in Danny's front yard and a smug, short woman with an umbrella greets them with amused silence.

"Neo!" Ruby yells, zooming across the yard to hug the silent woman.

"Hey, Scoops," Danny greets, letting Yang cling to her in an attempt to keep the other demon away. "I take it you heard about Frosty?"

Neopolitan gives her a look that says _what do you think_?

"Well, you might as well come inside," Danny picks up her eldest niece. Yang yelps, but doesn't complain, watching Neo wearily. The other demon picks up Ruby, throwing a wink at Yang. "Someone will need to keep an eye on the girls while I deal with frazzled demons."

"Aunt Danny," Yang says with the upmost seriousness as her aunt places her on the counter in the kitchen. The brunette pauses and gives her full attention to the blonde. "If you've ever loved me, you won't leave me alone with Scoops."

Neo makes a scoffing noise in the background, pulling up a chair and placing Ruby on her lap.

"Yang," Danny starts with the upmost honesty, "I love you with all my heart. But sometimes we have to make sacrifices for those we love."

"She illusioned my hair blue for a week!"

There is knocking at the door. Danny pauses, looks over at the shapeshifting demon, and simply says, "Don't turn Yang's hair blue."

"Aunty!"

Ruby doesn't know why Yang isn't a fan of Neopolitan. She loves it when the demon comes to visit.

Neo plants kiss on Ruby's head and then snaps her fingers at Yang, turning the eldest sibling's hair red. The little girl giggles when she gets picked up and rushed out of the room, an angry Yang on their trial.

Yah, Neopolitan is her favourite.

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks for reading! And thank you MoonShadowPup, Dra'ka'do, Daisysmartheart, and Littlest1 for reviewing! Hope people enjoy this.**


	3. Chapter 3: Ruby the Small

Chapter Three: Ruby the Small

" _-and, the moment the witch was slain, the sleeping seamstress woke from her never ending slumber."_

Summer pauses, lowering the storybook. She smiles softly at her youngest. The mother gets up from her seat and returns the book to its shelf. She pauses before leaving the room, whispering a soft "goodnight, Ruby," to the sleeping child. She looks forward to spending the weekend with her youngest daughter. It's just the two of them, because Yang is away at a friend's house and Tai is on a supervised mission with the school he teaches at. Summer has a list of fun activities planned out; no work for them this weekend.

But, like most laid plans, it goes awry. A single text and she has no choice but to cancel everything and go be a huntress.

Ruby is disappointed – of course she is, her mother _promised_ – but she understands a huntress can't put her family first all the time. She would be a hypocrite if she complained about her mother leaving. Though… Aunt Danny – the last person Summer calls to take Ruby – does let her complain and never brings it up to her mother. Ruby knows that's why Yang likes phoning their aunt at night when everyone's asleep. Their family loves them. Their parents want what they think is best for the kids. Their uncle wants them to fly. Their aunt stays back, lets them make mistakes, and lends help when they ask. The rest of their extended family, especially the other demons, just loves to spoil them.

"Mal," Summer says unhappily, leaning against the doorframe. Ruby comes scampering with her overnight bag. It's the first time the girl's seeing the woman since her mother started training her other powers. _Demon_ , her instincts scream. Ruby never realised her aunt was so powerful. "I thought Danny was supposed to pick Ruby up."

"She is," replies the woman at least three feet taller than Ruby's mum. Mal, with ink black hair and a green streak on one side, her black cloak billowing behind her, and her permanent look of suspicion, looks like a villain. There's a constant air of evil and confidence, even when the woman in is regular clothes. "I'm here to make sure nothing goes wrong."

"Hi aunt Mal!" Ruby calls, dragging her bag. Mal, like Danny, shares no blood relation to the girl, but has been there in her life so long she's considered family. Summer purses her lips at the reminder. "Bye mum! I love you!"

"I love you too, my rose petal," Summer mutters, kneeling down and hugging the girl tight. She glares at the taller woman and lets her eyes glow for effect.

Mal straightens up and bites out a little sneer above Ruby's head. She gently takes the girls shoulder and guides her to the ward line. "And how have you been, dear?"

Ruby launches into an excited explanation about the weapons they've been learning about out school. There's a pause when a frazzled Danny appears, quickly teleporting them after greetings, and then disappearing with a promise to be back that night.

"Whoa," Ruby gapes, looking around her aunt's front yard with awe. Mal sighs above her. "Was there a fire?"

"No more than usual," Mal drawls, shouldering the girl's overnight bag. "Danny has the land healing slowly, so it should be good as new in an hour or so. Candlestick and the Malachite Twins are… on a timeout until then."

"Aw," Ruby pouts. "Can I talk with Torchwick anyway?"

"Sorry, dear," Mal lightly threads her nails through the girl's hair. "You'll have to wait."

Ruby brightens when the door opens to reveal a dog Faunus with black, pointed ears. She sprints over there with a shout, "Uncle Toby!"

"Hey Rubes!" he catches her and swings her around.

A small, fragile woman with long white hair and scars marring her face pops out behind the man, stealing Ruby from him. "It's so lovely to see you again."

"Hi, aunt Dolly," Ruby mutters, face smashed against the woman's shoulder.

"Let her breath," Mal says lightly, brushing past them. "I'm putting your stuff in your room, Ruby."

"Thank you!" Ruby calls dizzily, latching onto the doorway to stay standing. Then she smiles up at the Faunus and human with round, curious eyes. "Weren't you on a never-ending journey?"

"Danny had to call us back," Toby says with a laugh, scratching his ears sheepishly. "Lots of demons have it hard this winter and she needs people here to watch them."

"Huh?" Ruby frowns, glancing around the yard. She finally notices that, not only are all the fruit trees bearing, but there's not a hint of snow around. She doesn't have time to think on it, as she's scooped up and smothered in a demon's chest. "Neo!"

The pink and brown haired woman hums and carries her to the living room. Ruby takes it all with a couple grumbles. When Neo drops onto a couch, Ruby shrieks as she bounces on the woman's lap.

"Oh," a male voice coos and the couch sinks beside them. Ruby looks over and stares unblinking as a demon's black eye slowly bleeds green. "She really does have great hair."

"Out of the way, loser!" the man goes flying into the far wall as someone sneaks up from behind the couch. "Oh my gosh! You are adorable and I went, like, ten thousand of you!"

"Thanks?" Ruby asks, now having to blink at the show of colours.

The cat Faunus with an orange tail purrs delightfully and cups Ruby's head. "I'm _Neon Katt_ and you must be Rubes. Danny talks all about you; I feel I know you so well already. Did you really glitter glue the cabinet with superglue and a bucket of glitter?"

"Yes," Ruby feels her cheeks flush in embarrassment. Neo hums, her chest rumbling soothingly behind the girl.

"So awesome!" Katt cheers, fist pumping and jumping in her seat. "I'm sure that-"

"Give the girl some time to breathe, Katt," a young, dark skinned man says from the living room doorway. His head tilts towards the red haired man still on the ground from Katt's throw. Ruby thinks he's looking at the other demon, but she can't tell because of his glasses. "You alright down there, David?"

"Peachy," the other man deadpans, waving a hand.

"Coal," Katt whines, making pointed motions to the only human in the room.

"How are you doing today?" Coal asks Ruby, ignoring the Faunus demon's cry of outrage.

"Good?" Ruby makes it sound like more of a question as she looks around the room. "Um… I'm a little confused."

"The kids are staying here while everyone tries to sort out the other side," Toby explains, walking into the room. Neo defensively hugs Ruby closer and away from Katt's reaching hands. The teen stops trying to get the girl's attention in order to protest with Coal and David that they aren't kids. "If you don't want to put up with them, tell them to leave."

"I wouldn't do that," Ruby says, gasping in real horror of the thought of being so rude. It draws interested looks from the male demons and a bright smile from Katt. Neo bares her teeth in a threatening smirk, telling them to back off. "They're staying here too."

"I won't hold it against you if you want my teammates to leave," David says, sitting up and running a hand through the hair covering one eye. "It's a lot of demons in one place."

"So?" Ruby asks, eyebrows furrowing. Katt squeals quietly at the cuteness. Ruby doesn't get why the demons look so happily at her one word rebuttal. She feels the need to explain. "It will be like a slumber party. We can watch movies and play games. It's fun with a lot of people!"

She takes their pleased expressions to mean they like the idea of playing games.

Toby sighs, knowing the kids are just happy to play with a human who isn't scared of them. "When are the rest of your groups coming?"

Ruby doesn't catch the answers because Neo pulls her off the couch, growl building in the woman's throat. Katt looks sheepish, spread across the couch. Her tail twitches and she gulps in fear at the pink and brown haired woman's glare. Ruby whines when she's dropped in Mal's arms, watching Neo pick up the Faunus demon and drag her to the main foyer.

"Not in the house!" Dolly yells.

"Katt!" Coal calls as the cat Faunus tries to dig her heels in. "You can talk to her now."

"Unfair!" Katt shouts right before she's thrown out the door. Ruby hears the telltale sound of an umbrella opening, and then the door closes.

"Well, that was exciting," David drawls, standing and rolling his shoulder. Ruby jumps when something pops loudly into place. "Sorry, hun."

"I'm going back to Junior," Coal mutters, giving one last intrigued look at the girl. Mal bares her teeth over Ruby's head, and he gets the message.

"What about you, David?" Mal hisses at the other demon, gently putting the girl back on the couch. "Care to stick around?"

"I won't do anything," he defends, holding up his hands. "I'll sit far away, and no touching."

"No sniffing, either," Toby says so low Ruby doesn't hear him.

David jerks his head up and down. He scoots over to the armchair furthest from the little girl, sitting down and propping his head on a fist. "So… do you want to, like, pick out a movie or something?"

"Um," Ruby fidgets under the demon's unblinking stare. "I guess?"

He tilts his head further in thought. "You don't sound like you want to."

She doesn't really. Movies are for nighttime. She really just wants to ask these demons questions, learn what their life is like. It must be so different compared to this side of Remnant. Roman and Neopolitan are the only demons she's ever summoned, and only Neo ever visits when she's on this side. These new demons are kids in the eyes of the adults. What makes them kids? They look all grown up.

"Hey," David calls, breaking her from her thoughts. Ruby realizes that they are the only two in the room, and she's been glaring at the television. "We're here for your entertainment, kid. So, what do you want to do?"

"Can I give you a hug?" Ruby asks. She wants to know if he's as hot as Torchwick or Neo.

The red haired demon stills in place, visible eye going black. "Not, uh, now, kid. Pretty sure your family would try to have my head if I got any closer to you."

"Why?" Ruby asks.

"Er," he swallows thickly. "While I'm not a kid, I'm still pretty young by demon standards. Barely twenty years. My control isn't like the others." Especially since his job in his previous legion was to steal kids.

Ruby frowns, tilting her head. "Do you want me to leave?"

"No," he replies quickly, and then flinches at the too-low-to-hear growl coming from the kitchen. "I mean, if you want to go, you should go. Free world and all that."

"Okay," Ruby nods. "Is it... a possession thing?"

He nods, letting out an even breath in relief. "Yah, kid. The fact you haven't run screaming or asked for something is a little too appealing, you get it?"

"Oh!" Ruby sits up in excitement. Of course that's the problem. "So if I demanded something of you, would you do it?"

"Yes…" he throws a look towards the kitchen, where Toby is. The man who summoned him and demanded he returns to him if a person in the house demands anything of him.

"And," Ruby draws out the word until he looks at her, "if I demand something, you won't feel the need to steal me, right?"

"That's normally how it works," David raises an eyebrow. He takes a shuddering breath, flexing his free hand behind the armrest. Instincts demand he takes her, hold her until she's in his scent, before she demands something that will make him want to tear her apart. He swallows the croon building, and wonders why none of the older demons are in the room to tamper his instincts down; the only thing holding him back from jumping from his seat is Toby's command. He knows they would appear and stop him if he made a move to entice her; none of them want him dead. And trying to steal a member of a stronger demon's legion is asking for death; never mind trying to steal the favourite summoner of a stronger demon. "Why is your face like that?"

"I'm thinking!" Ruby defends, smushing her cheeks to get the pinch thought-lines out. "It's not easy to think of something to tell you!"

David would argue that it is actually _very_ easy, but he falls silent when Toby enters. The man waits patiently in the shadows, out of the girl's sight. The red haired demon constantly flicks his gaze between the human and Faunus. It settles on the girl when she jumps to her feet; he swallows another croon.

"I've got it!" Ruby turns to him with excited, wide silver eyes. The faint fear in David's chest is overpowered by the stiffening in his posture. "Catch this pillow!"

"Allowed," Toby mutters as the throw pillow goes flying at the demon.

He doesn't have to move as it hits against his chest with a light puff. David stares at the pillow, and then up at the girl. His instincts are laughing at him now, and he doesn't know if that's a step up from wanting to steal the girl or not. "Now what?"

"That's it," Ruby shrugs and sits back down.

Toby breaks down laughing at the demon's stunned expression. Ruby snaps her head over to her uncle and she asks what's so funny.

"Nothing you need to worry about, Rubes," Toby chuckles. His smile falters at David's snapping to the side. "Who is it?"

"Vasilias and Wukong," David frowns. "Danny must have let them in cause they're running for the door."

"Who's running for the door?" Katt says, out of breath. Neo passes her and picks up Ruby, cradling the girl's head under her own.

"Are you alright?" Ruby asks. Katt lifts her thumbs up and winks, and then collapses on the ground in a curled up position. "Neo?"

Neo hums and rubs her face again Ruby's hair.

"They'll be here in three," David deadpans, "two, one…"

The doors burst open and Neo skips over with the rest – minus Katt – to see the newcomers. Ruby perks up and squeals, waving at the blond. "Hi Sun!"

"Rubes?" the monkey Faunus demon gasps out, hands on his knees as he struggles to breathe. His gaze then shifts to the man cutting through the group. "-? How'd you get here before us?"

"I was closer to Vale," David drawls, stopping a few feet away. He looks between the demons. "What happened to you two?"

"Birdie," Wukong groans, stretching his arms above his head.

Ruby wants to know why everyone looks suddenly pained or tired.

"Don't want to say I told you so," the blue haired demon glares up as he struggles to breath, "but I told you so."

"Come on, man," Wukong groans. "How was I supposed to know she'd attack us?"

"Uh, because we crossed her territory?"

"It was a shortcut!"

"Not a very good one."

"Alright," Toby cuts in, walking between them. He goes to says something, but a voice coming through the door interrupts.

"Please don't tell me someone was stupid enough to bring Birdie to our doorstep," Roman Torchwick drawls, striding through the door like he owns the place. Two bored women follow behind him, eyebrows raised at the newcomers.

"Hi Torchwick!" Ruby calls, waving from her spot in Neo's arms.

"Red," he nods, smirk still on his lips. His gaze slides to the younger demons, lips pulling back into a mocking smile which shows teeth a little too sharp. "Well? I'm waiting."

"She followed us," Wukong protests, waving his hands around in surrender. "Come on man, don't be like that. She can't even get inside."

"Oh, this is rich," Torchwick hisses, teeth sharpening. Ruby tilts her head, and the movement stops his eyes from darkening. He swallows, twirling his cane around as he stalks to the kids. When he grins again, his teeth are back to normal. "Do you even know _why_ no one dares mess with Birdie?" The blond demon fidgets. "It's because she doesn't ever give up."

"Who's Birdie?" Ruby asks, eyes wide. "Can I meet her?"

"No!" almost everyone shouts, and Ruby coughs as Neo squeezes her.

"She can if she wants," Mal says, raising a hand up to check her nails. She picks one as her eyes go black and small horns start coming from her head. "It's not like Raven will do anything to her." _While we're still_ _alive and breathing_ is implied.

"She can't meet Raven," Toby shuts down the conversation. "Yang and the woman need to talk it out first."

"Glad we can have this chat," Torchwick taunts, rocking back on his heels. "But _someone_ needs to go out there and talk to Birdie."

Toby sighs and starts towards the open doors. "Screw you too, Torchwick."

"Sorry, pup, but I don't swing that way," Torchwick chuckles at the rude gesture the Faunus sends at him.

"What are we talking about?" Ruby asks, confused.

"Nothing, Rubes," Sun says, hesitating between taking a step forward or not. By Neo's pointed teeth, he's thinking not.

"Oh, yah," Torchwick taunts, "because that's _so_ helpful, monkey boy."

"Rude," Ruby pouts at the adult demon, making him freeze, foot stopped in the air. "Apologize."

Torchwick huffs and looks away, gritting his teeth while he walks for the kitchen where the other legion leaders are. "Sorry, Red. Not apologizing to an idiot."

"Leave it, Wukong," Mal puffs with a frown. The blond demon's mouth clicks shut at the glare she sends when she passes him. "We have to make sure Raven doesn't kill Ayana when he gets here."

The young demon's expression quickly changes to a defeated worry. The blue haired demon tries to comfort the man, but Ruby doesn't get to see anymore as Neo skips back to the living room. Katt looks up from the couch, immediately brightening at them. The cat Faunus demon waits until Neo's kissed Ruby's forehead and left before scooting over.

"So I, like, really want to cuddle you, kiddo," Katt says with a hopeful smile. "Nothing weird, just hugs-"

She cuts off as Ruby attaches herself to her middle and sits in her lap. "Yay! Hugs!"

Katt lets out a happy purr and runs a hand through the ice cream, flower, and sulfur smelling little girl's hair. "You are _adorable_!"

"How come you're allowed to be near her, but I can't?" David says, amused, from the doorway.

"Because you're a guy, _duh_ ," Katt taunts, sticking out her tongue. Her tail comes around and tickles Ruby's cheek, making the little one giggle. "I just want cuddles, you freak."

He sighs, gaze flicking to the girl fondly when she protests, "That's mean, Katt! He's not a freak."

"Thank you," the blue haired demon from before sniffs and he walks in the room. A confused look crosses his face. "Why does it smell like ice cream?"

"Neo's… helping us," David says, rolling his eyes, "by giving us a reason to back off the girl."

"That's silly," the blue haired demon says, grabbing a seat on a free recliner. He looks the girl up and down, eyes lingering on the silver gaze. "Why would we want her?"

"-" David hisses and Ruby's face falls.

"Oh, uh-"

"Don't listen to that loser," Katt scoffs, starting to braid Ruby's hair. "He has no tastes in humans."

"Katt!"

"What? It's true," she glares at him. She whispers conspiratorially to Ruby. "A woman once summoned him, promising to be his servant if he did a little revenge for her, and he passed it up."

"Katt," the blue haired demon hisses, face slowly creeping red. "How do you even know about that?"

"Everyone does," the woman licks her lips and smiles, showing a pointed tooth.

"Isn't that a good thing, though?" Ruby asks, drawing their looks. Wide, innocent silver eyes look up at the Faunus demon. "Because the trade wasn't really fair?"

If possible, the blue haired demon looks more embarrassed. Ruby can't understand why Katt giggles or David looks exasperated. Katt finishes the braid, rubbing a finger along Ruby's cheek and saying out loud she'd visit more just for her.

"Do you like being summoned?" Ruby asks Katt.

The demon Faunus pauses, glancing away with a thoughtful shrug. "Maybe. When our side is being as crazy as it is today, yah; it's awesome to get away."

"Then maybe aunty will let me summon you."

Katt gives a thrilled purr. A broader, dark skinned man comes up beside David, the redhead demon greeting him. Ruby's sense tingle at the fact she's surrounded by four demons, but she ignores it like usual and waves. "Hi!"

The new demon smiles and nods. "Hello."

"That is Rubes," David says.

"Yah," the demon relaxes and sends her a perfect, gentlemanly smile. "Danny talks about you a lot. Nice to have a face to a name. Call me Ayana."

"Hi," Ruby squeaks again with wide eyes. "I love your sword."

"Ayana!" Dolly shouts, skidding into the room. "Weapons at the door!"

"Yes ma'am," he nod with a quiet smile. Ruby waves as he leaves.

"Rubes, hun," Dolly holds out a hand, "do you want to come say goodbye to Torchwick and Neo?"

"They're leaving?" Ruby whines, face falling. She twists out of Katt's grip and latches onto her aunt. "Already?"

"They have a business to run," Dolly says, chuckling at the girl. "Same with Junior. Vale crew has to keep things running on their side."

"Though it would be really nice if our legions could handle themselves," Junior pipes up, glaring at a sweating demon in a suit and tie.

"Hi, Junior," Ruby waves from the kitchen entrance. "Hi Junior's friend."

"Hey, squirt," he nods gruffly, daring his 'friend' to try anything with a well-aimed glare. "How's your sister been?"

"Good," Ruby replies with a shrug. She glances over at the women, twins by the looks of it, with a curious glance. "She wants to know if you'll teach her to make drinks when she's older."

One of the twins coughs to cover a laugh. He glares at them, and then looks at Ruby unimpressed. "I'm not answering that. Good to see you're doing well." And with that he, the twins, and the man in a suit disappear.

"Wimp," Dolly coughs under her breath, leading the girl into the kitchen. She lifts Ruby onto the table and then leans beside her. "They'll be here soon. Torchwick just needs to grab the reason he came here."

"And wouldn't it be great if someone would just kill me now," Torchwick groans, stomping into the kitchen. "I am way too old to play babysitter."

"And we're too old to need you," a brown skinned girl sneers at him. Ruby looks between the two of them curiously. The girl meets the demon's red eyes, and the mint-green haired woman huffs in indignation. "You have one of _those_ living in this house?"

"Careful, Sustrai," Dolly warns, crossing her legs and giving a hard look. With her scars, the tiny woman almost looks like she's sneering.

"I distinctly remember Fall explaining Rubes is off limits," Toby deadpans, coming up from behind the female demon to stand protectively in front of the little girl.

"He's got you there-"

Ruby looks over at the grey haired demon that cuts off. Next thing she knows, Neo comes out of nowhere and has the demon pinned against the wall by his throat. Torchwick is standing in front of Toby, tense as he fiddles his cane back and forth. Ruby can't see his expression, but whatever it is has the red eyed demon wary.

"Hi," Ruby says hesitantly with a small wave.

The grey haired demon's eyes go black, but he doesn't fight Neo. His gaze doesn't leave Ruby's. When he opens his mouth, Neo crushes his windpipe before anything can come out.

"Wow, Merc," the red eyed demon drawls, slowly turning to him. "You just had to go and try that. What happened to _off limits_?"

The man stays as still as he can, tearing his gaze to Neo. Somehow he wheezes out, "Let me go."

"Are you stupid?" Torchwick scoffs, nudging Toby back so the non-demons are in one area. "Kid, you try and steal her and you get a fate worse than death."

"Wait, he was really going there?" the female demon laughs. "What's so special about her?"

"She isn't afraid," the pinned demon wheezes, gaze flickering to Ruby's until Mal comes in growling.

"Ruby, you can give him one order," Toby says, drawing the confused girl's gaze to him. He steps around, blocking the view of the demons. The grey demon stiffens, and then gets his windpipe crushed further by Neo as he goes to protest. Toby holds Ruby's shoulders in place when the sounds of the demon trying to escape make her curious. "Do you need help thinking of something?"

"Yes, please," Ruby nods. She stays still, fidgeting as her aunt's growling gets louder.

"Don't even try it," Torchwick says lowly to the mint-green haired demon as she tries to walk towards the pinned man. "No one wants to explain to Slippers why she's down a groupie."

The woman glares at him, but can't backtalk by Ruby shouting out, "Black! Open the fridge right now!"

Neo steps back and drops the demon. He stands up easily and walks to the fridge with a tense posture. His follow legion member glares at the girl, and then at Torchwick when he bares his teeth and defensively holds out his cane. Black, the grey clothed demon, opens the fridge and turns to the girl, deadpanning, "Now what?"

"Nothing," Ruby shrugs, not understanding why he looks so shocked at her answer.

"And now that that bit of drama is over," Torchwick says, pointed teeth still barred. "We really must be going, kiddies."

"Aw," Ruby pouts. Mal bumps Black out of the way and closes the fridge. "Do you have to?"

"Unfortunately, Red, some of us adults have responsibilities," Torchwick drawls, standing back to watch Neo give the girl goodbye hugs and kiss on the forehead.

"Right," the red eyed demon drawls from the doorframe, glaring at everyone in the room. "Because you've been doing _such_ a _good job_ with your territory, Roman."

"Word of advice, jealously doesn't suit anyone, Sustrai," Torchwick taunts. "Neo, let the girl go." The small woman pouts at him. "Come on, work to do and blood to spill."

"Oh," Ruby frowns. "Stay safe!"

"Of course," Torchwick chuckles. Neo winks and skips over to the other demons. "It's not _our_ blood that's going to be spilled."

And with that, the four demons disappear, leaving the rest of the adults to explain just what he meant to a very concerned Ruby.

"Can we have her back now?" Katt asks, gliding into the kitchen. Ruby gapes in awe at the rainbow trailing behind the woman, getting sidetracked from the fact Roman and friends just went to cause chaos. "It's, like, so boring being the only girl in there."

"No roller skates in the house," Dolly groans.

"Where is the rest of your team?" Mal asks dryly, flicker her green strands back behind her ear. "They should be the ones to entertain you."

Katt jumps, pressing a button to retract the wheels. Ruby oohs at the fading rainbow. The demon flashes the girl a smile before baring her teeth at the older woman.

"Not everyone was lucky to escape Atlas for the winter," Coal snarks, sending a glare at Mal. "Where's the Vacuo group, huh?"

"Can someone tell me what's going on?" Ruby whines, kicking her legs against the table. Neon comes up and side-arm hugs her, but it doesn't make her feel better. "I like meeting all of you, but… why are lots of demons staying here?"

"It's not just here," Toby says uncomfortably.

"Most demons as trying to stay on this side for the season," Mal rolls her eyes to show how impressed she is at their ideas.

"You are all making this harder than it needs to be," Coal says smoothly. Ruby looks over, and blinks in surprise. The dark skinned man leans against the wall, legs and arms crossed. His teeth are pointed. His fingers now claws. Ruby isn't frightened – her aunt Mal's had more than one hissy fit – but she does wonder what upset him enough to change. "Imagine the worst snowfall you've seen, and multiply that be a dozen. It's happening all day, every day, _everywhere_ in the demon side right now."

"And we _still_ don't know who the Winter demon is," Katt whines, running her fingers through Ruby's hair. "It's, like, making me _so_ angry that she's causing all these problems on purpose."

"Really?" Ruby asks, enjoying the nails untangling the knots but still rather confused. "Why would someone do that?"

"Lots of reasons," Mal rolls her shoulders and picks her nail again. "We've ruled out inexperience, though. The power shift towards the cold-lovers is too deliberate."

"Enough talk of this!" Katt meows, picking Ruby up. "We are going to go have fun! Coal, meet us outside and help us destroy SSSN!"

Ruby sees him sigh and smile, teeth fading back to normal. She doesn't catch what her uncle Toby says before Coal follows them. Something about keeping an eye on Katt. She doesn't know why Katt would need a babysitter; the woman's just excitable.

"We're doing an obstacle course!" Katt announces, flicking her skates on as soon as they're outside. Coal lets out a strangled noise, while David and Sun look excited at the prospect.

"No water," the blue haired demon begs.

"Grow up and learn how to swim," Katt taunts, lowering Ruby to a nearby bench. "Rubes' is referee, got it?"

"Yes ma'am," Wukong says cheekily. Katt tries to swat him, but he dodges and bounds over to Ruby with a data pad. "This is kind of old school, so don't be afraid to ask for help!"

Ruby takes it carefully, noticing how it switches through camera feeds. "Um… can someone help me?"

"I'll stay," Ayana says with a firm nod towards Coal and Wukong. The leaders nod back. The broader man carefully moves to sit next to the delicate human. The blue haired demon and David fight for who's going to accompany Sun through the course. Ruby turns wide, helpless silver eyes on her partner. Ayana stiffens, and then smiles softly. "I can help, if you'd like."

"I would like that," Ruby nods seriously. The girl hesitates before handing it to him. "You aren't going to try and steal me, are you?"

"No," Ayana answers easily. "That's not my job. I'm actually a pretty good storyteller." He doesn't say that's how they lure them in. His self-control is the best of the legion, so he's always decoy or frontline.

Ruby doesn't realize any of this and bounces in her seat, handing the pad to him. "Can you tell stories tonight?"

"…Sure," Ayana nods. The girl curls up beside him, and he finally relaxes and drapes an arm around her shoulder. The rumble in his chest doesn't come out; it feels nice to have someone trust him so quickly. The demon – a type of dream weaver – doesn't mind that she's human. He's just happy she isn't afraid. "I've got a few good stories."

"Hey," Katt calls, waving her hands. "Are you guys ready or what?"

"We're good," Ayana says back, handing the pad over to the girl and explaining what she needs to do.

And Ruby, who misses her mother and feels bad her sister couldn't join today, doesn't want to give this up. Somehow, surrounded by demons and in the middle of a forest crawling with Grimm, she feels safer than she does back on Patch. Or maybe it's because she always has fun here. Nowhere else has she ever seen demons compete in an obstacle course before. And she had no idea there were demons actually afraid of water.

Ruby likes that she can still learn new things every day.

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks for reading! Hope people enjoy this.**

 **Thank you, MoonShadowPup, for your review! And the army gets a little bigger… Beacon Academy won't know what hits them. Thanks again for reviewing, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

 **Thank you, WolvesRock14, for your review! Hope you enjoyed!**

 **Thank you, timrocks99, for your review! Hope you liked the chapter!**

 **Thank you, Littlest1, for your review! It will be a bit slow roll to get info like why Summer isn't a huge fan of demons. Hope I can keep it interesting with fluff and light plot until then! Thank you so much for your review, and I hope you liked the chapter!**

 **Thank you, Guest, for your review! I hadn't heard of the anime before, but I'll be sure to look it up! I love stories where the main character can charm others into not being evil (especially if it's an oblivious charm). Thank you for your review, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

 **Any characters people would like to see, or see more of, in the upcoming chapters?**

 **Anyone else excited for the new season of RWBY?**


	4. Chapter 4: Ruby the Disabler

Chapter Four: Ruby the Disabler

"Yang!" Ruby whines, bursting into her sister's room. "I'm bored!"

Yang makes clawing movements over the sheet of paper now drenched in ink. "Ruby! You made me mess up."

"Sorry," the small kindergartener says bashfully.

Yang just groans and flops down on the table, avoiding the paper. She motions her sister over. "Why are you bored?"

"I can't touch my weapon until it's warmer," Ruby pouts, running to her sister's side. "Mum's hidden the parts and I can't find them."

Yang snickers and noogies the younger girl. Ruby shrieks, attempting an escape. The blonde just laughs and clears off her table, throwing the ruined paper into the trash and cheering when it rim-shots in.

"Ooo," Ruby excitedly drags over a chair and stands to look at her sister's new drawing. "Are you practicing symbols?"

"Yah," Yang says, distracted. "Aunty showed me the ones for Vale territory. You could probably practice the easier ones, if you want."

"Yay!" Ruby scrambles for a pen. Yang chuckles and hands one over, barely keeping her right hand on it for more than a few seconds. Ruby notices, and watches her sister draw for a few seconds instead of drawing on her fresh page. "Is your fracture acting up?"

Yang sighs, tucking her right hand further under the desk. Her left hand comes off the page, careful not to smear. "Yah… Blew up the first page I was trying."

"Do you want me to call aunty?" Ruby asks, worried.

"I already told her, and she said to practice with my left hand, and she'll supervise and tell me what to do next time we're over."

Ruby nods, still wanting to help but unsure how. Yang tells her not to worry and to start drawing already. They fall into rhythmic silence; their cheap pens scratching and bleeding ink. They do this a few other times in the week when their parents go on unplanned hunts after school. And then, finally, the holiday they've been waiting for.

"I can't believe you made it," Taiyang says, amused as he watches the girls swarm their uncle.

"What can I say?" Qrow drawls in return. "Presents and a warm meal? Why wouldn't I come?"

"You're forgetting the free booze," Taiyang shares the man's smirk. His eyes flicker around the doorframe, facing edging on confused. "No Danny?"

"She's dropping off gifts tonight, but can't stay," Qrow shrugs. "We thought it was bad here? Winter's been ten times worse over there. Six weeks can't go fast enough."

The girls' father lets out a huff-sigh and nods. The girls rope their uncle into telling them stories before the adults try to pull him away to talk. It's a good night. A nice family meal, with Summer sharing embarrassing stories of the men. Before they go to bed, the girls are treated to presents added to their pile.

"Did we miss aunty?" Ruby whines, not noticing her mother's dark gaze at the presents.

"These are from her," Yang frowns, taking a pile of letters off the presents. "Here."

Ruby opens her letter. Her frown becomes more pronounced at the quick apology scribbled on it. Multiple signatures line the lower half, wishing her happy holidays and thanks for the cookies. Ruby runs up to the nearest adult – her mother – and pulls on her skirt. "Mum! Look! Lupus liked the cookies!"

Summer forces a gentle smile on her face and coos, taking her daughter's letter. Shock overtakes her expression. "When did you meet a Schnee?"

Qrow snaps his head over, ignoring his own letter, expression going unusually serious.

"We didn't meet Winter," Yang speaks, reading her own signed letter with a thoughtful expression, "but Ruby wanted to send them all get-well presents anyway."

"The Schnee kids?" Taiyang asks, bending down to get to their eye-level. "You sent them gifts?"

"Yah," Yang shrugs and pockets her letter. She finally registers their expressions and frowns at them. "What? It's just cookies. Not like we spent any money on them."

"When did you have time to bake all these cookies?" their dad asks, glancing over his wife's shoulder, suspicious of all the names scribbled on it.

"Last time they went to Danny's," Qrow groans and sits hard in the nearest seat. He runs his hands through his hair, ignoring the parents' glares. "I wondered why I got your gifts early."

"Oh," Summer says softly, getting down on her knees to hug her kids. "That's so nice of you girls to give all your friends presents. I loved the ones you gave us!"

"Better not be friends with Schnees," Qrow grumbles. Taiyang nods in agreement.

The girls can't open the presents until the next day, no matter how much they beg. Ruby, ready for bed, skips through the hallway. Yang stops her from going down, holding her back from the stairs. Before she can ask, her older sister shushes her and leans down.

"-don't feel safe when she does this!" Summer says. Ruby can hear her mother trying to keep her tone down, but is obviously very angry.

"I'm not going to stop her," Qrow says testily back, a bit quieter and with a hint of a slur. "It's not like she's doing any harm. It's just presents, Sum."

"It's not just presents!" Summer hisses back. "It's knowing she can come and go anytime she pleases. Whether we like it or not, she is dangerous, Qrow."

"She was your friend too," Qrow hisses back and the girls flinch when a cup is slammed down. "She was a demon when we were training, and she was a demon when she saved us. You're only upset because there's a way to stop her and I won't give it to you."

"Stop it," Taiyang snaps. "Both of you. I'll help you put up an alert ward tomorrow, dear. If it keeps bothering you, we'll speak with Ozpin on getting a stronger keep-out ward. Alright?"

They can assume their mother agrees by her hum. Ruby's curious, and whispers to her sister, "How do you keep a human or Faunus out?"

"More wards, probably," Yang mutters back with a frown.

"What is taking the girls?" they hear their mother comment and they freeze.

"Let them be kids," Qrow comments, and the girls are almost certain he knows they're listening. He would have voluntold their father to go get them if he didn't. "They're probably thinking of ways to sneak a few presents. And speaking of sneaking, when were you going to let me know you'd be gone for a few months?"

"I don't have to let you know my every move," Summer says wearily. "But since you so kindly asked, I wasn't."

"Summer," their dad groans and they can hear someone sit. "You promised you'd let everyone know."

"The ones who need to, do," she defends. "Don't give me that look, Qrow. You have your own troubles between teaching and looking for the Autumn and Winter Maidens."

"That doesn't mean I wouldn't worry."

"I don't want you to worry." Their mother sighs and someone sits down.

"She'll be in Mistral," Taiyang gives the details. "Lionheart's asked for someone to help with Spring. And… no one else knows how to help."

Ruby frowns. She whispers to her sister when they hear Qrow flopping on the couch with a groan. "Isn't Spring auntie's nickname?"

Yang nods distractedly.

"That is such a bad idea," their uncle groans.

"It's not like I can use my abilities," Summer says, and the girls share a look at the bitter tone they've never heard their mother use. " _They_ made sure of that. So I can't harm her, but I know how to deal with her."

"I'm not worried about you hurting her," Qrow says with an amused huff, like the idea is more than laughable. "I'm worried she'll get the brilliant idea to try and grab her relic. Or call the Spring Maniac because she wants all the power of Spring. Or run off because she's scared of the other two options."

"That's why I'm going," Summer says, tired. Yang gently tugs on Ruby's hand and leads them down the stairs. "There's no one else to- hey girls. Are you ready for us to tuck you in?"

"Yah!" Yang says, fist tightening in Ruby's hand. Ruby nods, looking curiously at her tense sister. She doesn't say anything or ask about what they were talking about, following the blonde's lead and pretending it didn't happen.

Their parents tuck in, wish good night, and kiss Ruby first. Then they head to Yang's room to do the same to her. Ruby barely waits ten minutes after they're gone to sneak to her sister's room. "Yang?"

"Come over here," Yang sits up and waves from her bed. Ruby scampers over and snuggles beside her under the blankets.

"Did you know mum was going away?" Ruby asks quietly.

"…no," Yang admits, eyes taking a light red tint.

"But she'll be back, right?"

"Of course she will. She's mom."

The girls fall silent. It is soon broken by a knock at the door. Ruby ducks under the covers with a squeak while Yang calls 'come in'.

"So, that's where you went," Qrow chuckles, shutting the door and sitting at the end of the bed. Ruby peeks around the covers, staring with wide-owl eyes. "I've got presents for you two from Scoops, but I thought it best not to let your parents see them."

Ruby scrambles up and grabs the present. Yang catches hers midair. They open the small boxes to reveal a small pendant for each of them.

"Huh," Qrow says with a thoughtful frown.

"Isn't this Neo's mark?" Yang asks, twisting it up to the window to get some light on it. Her face twists into a sour expression. "Is this some kind of courting thing?"

"Doesn't look like it." Qrow holds his hand out. Ruby pouts but hands it over. "Huh."

"What is it?" Ruby frowns.

"You two know how you're officially considered part of your aunt's legion, right?" They nod. "This is Neo pretty much saying she's adopting you as her kids."

"What?" Yang stiffens, face going blank and dropping the pendant on the bedspread. Ruby snuggles up to her hurting sister, trying to offer some comfort.

"If you call her name while you're in danger, she'll appear to defend you," Qrow picks up the dropped one to compare them. "Danny definitely made this, so that means she approves of Neo coming to help you. Parents or guardian demons give them to the kids, on either side of the world, to let others know they are protected and get them to back off."

"So, Neo's our demon mother?" Ruby frowns, unsure if she's right.

Qrow looks a long time into Yang's red eyes. He nods and places the pendants in front of the girls. "That's what she wants. You don't have to use it, but you may need it one day."

Yang quickly gets to her feet, storming across the room and throwing it into a drawer.

Ruby keeps her clenched in her fists, watching with wide eyes. She trembles a little and turns to the man. "Um, uncle Qrow, why didn't aunty give us a pendant?"

He sighs and leans back, ignoring how the boxes fall off the bed and steadying Yang when she trips over them on her way back to the bed. "She can't let others know her symbol, and the gift is only threatening to others if it has their sigil. Otherwise it's just a piece of jewellery."

"That's what mum wants, isn't it?" Yang asks quietly, hugging her knees to her chest as she stares at her uncle. "To ward Danny from the house?"

"Among other things," he grumbles getting to his feet. "Your mother will come around eventually."

"What's a Spring Maniac?" Ruby asks.

When Qrow takes a second too long to answer, Yang asks, "Is that what Aunt Danny is?"

"No," Qrow says, gaze sharp and no slur to be heard. "Your aunt was human. A Maniac is a demon with half the power of a season."

"She was a Maiden?" Yang says piecing to together. Ruby doesn't follow. "So there is two of her type of demon? And what's a relic she needs?"

"No, it's only her," Qrow frowns. "She has the full power of Spring."

"But mum said-"

Her uncle flinches, realizing just what he told them. "Ah, well, your mother is going to tutor someone who has the power of Spring."

 _A lie_ , Ruby's intuition whispers.

Yang seems to think so too. She narrows her eyes and leans forward. "But you just said-"

"Nothing, kiddo," Qrow shrugs and makes his way to the door. "I'm drunk. Don't know what I'm sayin'. 'Night."

"Why would mum's student need the creation relic?" Ruby calls.

Qrow pauses, hand over doorknob, and glances back with a frown. "Why would Spring get a creation relic?"

"Because that's what happens in the stories," Yang says like it's obvious.

He shakes his head, turning to them with unfocused eyes. "Spring in knowledge."

"No it isn't. Winter is." Ruby pouts.

"Aunty says so," Yang crosses her arms defiantly.

Qrow looks like he can't quite process that. "Your aunt's wrong."

"You're drunk," Yang taunts. "You don't know what you're saying."

He gives a small chuckle and shakes his head, eyes clearing for a few seconds. He wishes them goodnight again, really leaving this time. Yang turns to her sister, sees the fist still tightly around the pendant, and sighs. She drags Ruby down into bed, curling up and telling her a story before bed.

"Aw, aren't they cute?"

Ruby groggily pries open her eyes just in time to hear a snort and a second unfamiliar voice reply. "Normal is what you mean."

"No," the first voice tsks. A string bean-like man with taunt white skin, hallow cheeks, and very defining black-void eyes, smiles when he meets Ruby's fuzzy gaze. "Those spider web pyjamas are amazing!"

"Thank you," Ruby mutters.

A pink haired boy with cat eyes suddenly leans into view. "Interesting."

"What?" asks the second voice. A woman nudges the boy aside and her eyes widen as Ruby sleepily looks up at them. Then the lady huffs and walks to the wall, throwing up her hand. "Of course one of them is an angelic. Not like this could have been perfect otherwise."

"Who are you?" Ruby yawns. A glance at the clock shows it's two in the morning.

"Shire," says the boy, languidly lowering his head back into view. "You are the Rupee, or are you not?"

"Lav Lyton," the man straightens his suit and winks, his body turning into a skeleton. Ruby can't help her excited gasp, and he smirks. "Friends call me Skelly."

"I am Dia," the woman says, shifting armguards while she glares daggers at skeletal-like man. "Our team was tasked with delivering the gifts-"

"Not that Crim wants us to," Lav interjects.

" _Our team was tasked_ ," Dia stresses, "with delivering the gifts of the royal family of Vacuo. We apologize for disturbing your rest. We were not supposed to be caught."

"The Crimson giver is having a hard winter this year," Shire purrs lazily. "So we were given the easy path of Vale. But easy is not always so, is it not so?"

"Princess Uzi and Prince Lupus have gifts for Yang and Ruby respectively," Lav says, pulling out two wrapped boxes from under his jacket. "I'll set them here, and we will be on our way."

"Thank you," Ruby mumbles, feeling sleep pulling her under.

"Of course," Lav says, turning back into a human.

"Shire," Dia stresses. Ruby cracks an eye open to see the woman tight gripping the demon boy's arm and dragging him away from the bed. "Door. Now."

"I would never have taken the Rupee of hearts," Shire grabs the doorknob and twists. "But she does not fear, not here, when there is breaking and there is entering."

Ruby catches a glance of another bedroom beyond the door, but her sleep addled mind just passes it off as a dream.

"So interesting," Shire hums, blinking his cat eyes at her before Lav bumps him into the next room. "A secret best kept, I do believe."

"From the witch and from the queen," Lav sings, waving and shutting the door behind him.

Ruby lets her head hit the pillow, much to a sleeping Yang's discomfort. She's pulled to her sister's chest, and the sisters' fall into an easy sleep, the events of the night forgotten.

They awaken before anyone else in the morning, and the first things Yang zeros in on are the presents. After determining that neither knows how the presents came to be in their room, after reading the tags they decide to open them.

"Aw, sweet," Yang cheers softly, fist pumping. She immediately slides on the special fingerless gloves, flexing and oohing at her hands. "I wonder if I'll get any dust to try this out."

Ruby squeals softly and hugs the wolf stuffy close. "It's so soft and squishy!"

"It's real dust-wear fabric, too," Yang purrs, slipping of her gift. She pets Ruby's wolf, and blinks in surprise. "Real velvet. This is really nice of them." She gets off the bed and hides the gloves in a secret drawer. "We'll have to send them a letter or something to thank them."

"Maybe we can visit," Ruby says, eyes alight. Yang bites her tongue because the blonde knows how truly expensive and daunting it would be to try and get them to Vacuo. Ruby eagerly latches onto her sister. "Lupus almost has a hawk trained! We need to go anyway so it can learn our aura!"

"Later," Yang promises. "Right now, we have to go and wake everyone up!"

"Wait!" Ruby lunges under the cover and wiggles around. She pops out with a 'ta da', holing her pendant up in the air. "Now let's go!"

Yang makes her sister put the gifts away in her own room, and then they jump on their parents. Their mother laughs and then sicks them Qrow, who groans and tries to hide under his pillows. The girls jump on his bed, hitting him with the leftover pillows. They eventually get downstairs, Summer forcing a large, healthy breakfast on all of them before they move to the living room.

It's a great morning. Ruby makes sure to hug and thank everyone there for the presents. The fiction books, clothes, and supplies are exactly what she hoped for. Her and Yang run around, sorting gifts, and come across two similarly wrapped squares. They take the present assigned to them by their parents' gift tag.

A blank cover book for each of them.

Taiyang sits down between them, tapping on the covers. "These belonged to your grandmother, who got it from her parents, and so on."

"They're blank," Yang frowns, running through the pages.

"That's what it seems like," their father leans back. "But it's actually a… Well, it's a demon compendium."

"What?" Yang asks, whipping her head around. Ruby echoes her sister.

"We've got a few of these in the family," their dad says. "If you write down the name and sigil of a demon, it brings up all the written information on them. Your mother and I are giving you these because we believe you're mature enough to handle them. But, if you get reckless with your demon summoning, we will be taking these back."

"We'll look after them," Yang says with a dazed awe. "Right, sis?"

"Yep!" Ruby chirps, already running for a pen.

"Most of it is probably outdated," Summer calls to her excited kids. "So you'll have to write new things as you go!"

Ruby nods distractedly. She uncaps the red pen she found and draws the symbol she held to her chest all night. Then the name: _Neopolitan_.

The red ink fades into the first page. Ruby feels the tendrils of disappointment sneak up, until the page bleeds a paragraph of black ink back. There are a few, small bits of information, and then a tiny paragraph explaining Neo's shapeshifting abilities. Ruby quickly understands what her mother means by out of date. The age listed for Neo is _nine_ years old. The female demon is most assuredly _not_ a child.

So she scratches it out and puts the woman's actual age – _213;_ she had asked ages ago if the demon celebrates her birthday – and then writes _Nickname: Scoops_ at the bottom of the page. The ink bleeds and mixes, and then reformats itself with an updated age and inserted nickname.

"So cool," Ruby breathes. She closes the cover, and then opens it to a blank first page.

"Remember," her dad warns, "don't go crazy trying to find out about every demon. And not everyone you're looking for will be in there."

"Look!" Yang slides her book over, showcasing a lot of question marks and lots of pages filled. "Writing in 'Spring' doesn't need a symbol."

"Neat!" Ruby cheers when her own book fills. She tries the rest of the seasons, oohing at the multiple handwriting gracing the pages. She can't read all the words, doesn't know the meaning of most of them, and some handwriting is atrocious. There is one line that is copied in both their books, and Ruby makes her sister go back to read it.

"…worst," Yang squints, tilting the page to try and clearly see the rest, "Winter in… years. Won't… mess… with… Schnees...? Again?"

"Girls," Summer calls. "Are you ready to open the rest of your presents?"

They slide the covers shut and race to grab more presents. The books are forgotten about until after the final dinner, when they're cleaning presents and wrappers. Their uncle is gone after winning the snowball fight, and the girls have eagerly phoned their friends wishing them happy holidays. Ruby follows her sister to the blonde's room and watches and Yang writes down the symbol recognizing a territory in Beacon.

"Huh," Yang mutters, holding up the half-page of writing for Ruby to see. "Pass me yours." The little girl does, and makes a disappointed noise when even less appears.

"Do the one for Patch!" Ruby demands, bouncing on the bed.

"Alright," Yang agrees, pulling out a cheat sheet of glyphs. Carefully, every line and dot soaks into the page and fades away. Both books have a few pages on the past goings of the island they live on, but both end remarking that Patch is now underwater in the demon realm. "That matches what we know. Only water breathers actually live around here."

There is a massive roar, punctuating the sentence. The girls share a look as they hear their parents start to shout. Yang quickly pushes her sister towards the door, demanding she starts packing.

Summer bursts into Ruby's room, smile looking real and the woman looking strong in her huntress gear. She assures her daughter that everything is alright, and asks if Ruby has everything? The little girl nods, backpack strapped to her back and wolf stuffy and pendant clutched to her chest. The book is tucked away between the emergency scrolls, flares, and empty gun. Summer tells her daughter she's brave as she picks her up, and they follow Taiyang, holding Yang, out of the house.

It's always hard when their parents leave them in the evacuation center. Their friends' parents promise to look after them, as well as the kids of other hunters and huntresses. Yang keeps Ruby close, glaring at the others who come close in their corner of the bunker. Tired, Ruby yawns a few more times, before something pings at her sixth sense.

"Yang," she mutters. Her sister jerks awake and levels a glare around the area. "There's a demon above us."

"What?" Yang barks out harshly, jerking to her feet. Nobody flinches but Ruby, and that's the first thing to hint something's wrong. "What else can you tell me about them?"

Nobody stirs.

"They are as strong as aunt Mal," Ruby whispers. "They are using their powers to hold the others with them."

That's how she knows they are there. The little girl can feel the magic the person gives off. Her instincts tell her demon, but they can't tell her what the other things up there are until she sees them.

"Others?" Yang asks hesitantly.

Ruby squeaks and eyes zero in on the door to the bunker.

Yang automatically takes in the situation, and realizes that the others aren't just asleep but unconscious. Nobody twitches because they can't hear them. The older sister pulls her sister behind the nearest wall of people and tells her to sit. Then Yang digs through her own backpack, pulling out a phone just in time for the door to slam open. "Come on, mum, pick up."

Ruby puts a hand to her mouth to muffle her squeak. Even Yang stops moving when the heels click. Slowly, gracefully, the demon comes into view.

There are no demons summoners on Patch. It's a rare mastery to have, and even then the ability to summon a demon with as much power as their aunts have is nigh impossible to do alone.

Under the circumstances, Ruby feels fear. She sees the woman wrapped in beowolf coats, and her instincts are screaming _demon_. She is sure Yang feels it too, if the ways her hands shake as she mutes the phone are any indicators. Yang carefully pulls out the second emergency contact phone, mutes the incoming noise as quietly as she can, and dials.

The first phone goes to voicemail while the second picks up first ring.

"He will do," the demon says, her soothing voice echoing through the room. Yang holds Ruby closer when the little girl goes to peek around. The demon drops the head of the unconscious man and snaps her fingers at the icicle men behind her. Two of the ice-made stick figures go forward and drag the man out the door. "Oh, what do we have here?"

Yang shudders at the purr in the woman's voice. Ruby keeps silent as her sister lifts the connected phone to her lips, barely breathing out the words. "Patch. Evacuation room."

"Oh yes," the demon hums sweetly, stroking the furry ears of a Faunus child. "This pup will do nicely. Pity the parents aren't the right colour, but I'm sure we can make use of them somehow. Take the parent that's the Faunus." She snaps her fingers, and ice on concrete echoes above the heels clicking.

"Yang," Ruby shakes as she sees the boy carried away. "It's Persi."

"Shh," Yang whispers, eyes glued to the boy until he's out of sight. The heels start clicking their way over to them, and Yang's hands shake as she whispers into the phone. "Hurry."

"Hmm," the demon tsks as she feels a few other people. "Not muscular enough… not _pretty_ enough… Oh? Now you…"

The girls can't move when the voice comes from the corner they abandoned. The woman smacks her lips and they hear a delighted giggle. "You are a delicious morsel, aren't you? I want this one, please."

"How about _no_."

The girls almost sob in relief at their aunt's voice. The demon has a different reaction. Ice cracks and shatters as the icicle men are destroyed and the sound of heels turns into the sound of boots. "Spring."

"So _you're_ the new Winter Maniac," Danny drawls. They hear her walk, purposefully placing herself in front of where they hide. "You know, I don't know why, but I never thought Frosty would have fallen to you of all people."

"Believe it," the other demon taunts. "The old woman was weak in the head. She never saw the distraction as the trap. Too secure in her reign, I think."

"Whatever makes you think you're better, Ville. Though…" They can see their aunt tap her chin in mock-thought. "Now that you've got all this power, you're going to need a nickname. What about Snowflake?"

"No," Ville deadpans.

The girls flinch when an icicle is smashed into pieces, and it hits the wall around them like glass. Their aunt just mocks the woman. "Well, that unprovoked attack just proves you're another special, Winter snowflake." Another icicle aimed at their aunt is shattered. "No? Then how about Frigid?"

"No," Ville grits out.

"Not that either, eh?" Danny stills, but the roots of her hair seem to shift. A hand comes off to wave at the air, and Ruby almost gulps at the sight of claws. "Then how about _Thief_."

At the low growl, Yang breathes out a short breath of relief. Ruby brightens up, realizing that is their aunt going all-out. As much as her instinct scream the more powerful demon is right in front of her, that's more comforting than frightening.

"I am not a thief," Ville says, outraged.

"You've come here to take people from Vale," Danny picks one of her nails. There is still a low growl in her throat, a tension in her spine, and Ruby knows they are safe. The little girl relaxes into her sister, letting the tears fall as adrenaline fades. "You've already taken some from Mistral. If you had stuck to Atlas, maybe _I wouldn't have to kill you_."

Before the quick second chaos of icicles shattering, Ruby hears the final, "I would like to see you try."

The girls scream as the room is filled with a cyclone of melting ice, before the air goes dead.

"Yang?" Ruby asks, holding on tight as her sister gets up to look.

"They're gone," Yang slumps back against the wall. "They're gone."

"I want mummy," Ruby sniffs.

"I do too," Yang whispers, trying the first phone again. "But we're safe now. We're safe."

"What about Persi?"

Yang bites her lip. "Aunty will get him back… W-we just have to tell her sh-sh-she… the other demon took him."

"Aunty will get him back," Ruby says determinedly. "And the others."

"Yah," Yang nods, almost crying in relief when the phone finally connects. "Yah, and the others."

Their parents are tired, but smiling when they return for them. Ruby can't remember what Yang said when asked what happened, as the little girl falls asleep in her father's arms as soon as she can. That night, their parents don't complain about them sneaking in and sleeping with them.

It's the next night, when there is no news on the aftermath of the missing people, when Ruby clutches the wolf doll and holds out the pendant. She regrets not remembering what it does. Maybe then she could have saved the missing townspeople, and she vows to do better. Still, in the dark and cold of the Winter's night, Ruby clutches the pendant as hard as she can and whispers, " _Neopolitan_."

There is a moment's pause, when the pendant in her hand grows warm, and then the short woman stands at the end of the bed, baring her teeth and horns sprouting from under her hair as she glares around the room. Seeing no visible threat, Neo lowers her umbrella and turns slowly to look at Ruby.

"I'm sorry," Ruby sniffs, holding out her hands for a hug. "I'm scared to be alone."

Neo tilts her head questioningly, but obliges. She hugs the girl to her chest, sitting on the bed and stroking Ruby's back. She takes a few seconds to point towards where Yang's room resides.

"She doesn't want company," Ruby mutters, falling asleep in the warm embrace. _Safe_ , her instincts tell her even though they keep trying to remind her that Neo is a powerful demon. It's conflicting, but Neo is _safety_ and _protection_ from the other demons that may try to break in, as silly as it is to think about. Her parents got the wards updated today, and they will only be stronger tomorrow. She shouldn't have to worry about uninvited guests. "Stay?"

Neo hums positive, shifting so she lies beside Ruby. Reluctantly, Ruby lets Neo coax the pendant from her hand and put it on the shelf. The little girl keeps the wolf plush in one hand, squished between her and the woman. The silence that naturally surrounds Neo draws her further and further into sleep.

Ruby mumbles incompressibly and drifts off, not knowing that Neo does in fact scare off a curious cat-eared demon that attempts to sneak in. There are two reasons he lives that night. The first is because the boy is saved by his teammates and sworn not to ever visit the human without permission. The second is because Neo really doesn't want to explain to the Crimson giver why there would be three dust stains of what were his voluntolds of the year.

Neo checks on the young girls before returning to the now-frozen wasteland of her home. Yang sleeps like the dead. Ruby wakes, and then rests easy hearing Neo's thoughtful humming.

And Winter continues in Remnant.

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks for reading! Hope people enjoy this.**

 **Thank you, MoonShadowPup, for your review! Yes, she's going to stay human (with some extra powers) and she'll eventually get the names of everyone; now with a nifty journal to keep track of them all. Thank you so much for your review, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

 **Thank you, FeugoFox42, for your review! I hope you liked the chapter, and thanks again!**

 **Thank you, Bomberguy789, for your review! I hope you enjoyed, and thank you!**

 **Thank you, Littlest1, for your review! Glad to hear you like them! That will be looked into later, but for some yes. Others have different reason for wanting her now (some want a summoner, some want another human in the legion, etc...). Thank you for your review, and I really hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

 **Thank you, LordGrimos, for your review! Awesome, perfect score! Thank you so much for reviewing, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

 **Anyone want to guess who Ville is based off of?**


	5. Chapter 5: Ruby the Young

Chapter Five: Ruby the Young

"Qrow."

"Uh, um…" Ruby ducks behind her uncle's leg and stares up at the other man with wide, excited eyes.

"Oz," Qrow greets. "Didn't expect to see you this far from your classroom."

"The cafeteria still refuses to serve my favourite hot chocolate," the white haired man smiles. He looks down to the star struck girl, humming his confusion.

"Oz, this is Ruby." She squeaks when her uncle ruffles her hair and bats at his hand. Qrow chuckles, nudging her forward. "Ruby, Ozpin is one of my old professors from Beacon."

"Ruby Rose…" the white haired man hums, leaning on his cane to get a good look at her. "You… have silver eyes."

Ruby lets out a short breath, because she's used to this. "I get that a lot."

What she's not used to is looking at someone and not knowing what they are. There was always a small idea of _like-her_ or _not-like-her_ – normal or demon – even before her mother started training her. With this man, Professor Ozpin, there's _nothing_. It's a thrilling, new feeling. Not to mention he must be a hunter if he taught her uncle. Double the mystery; it's _awesome_!

"Is that so?" a smile plays on the man's face.

Ruby nods, taking a step forward, feeling braver. "I have my mum's eyes!"

The man lets out a soft huff, smile falling as he nods. "So you do." He looks to Qrow, searching. "I'm heart warmed to see it all worked out."

"That's our number," Qrow says, nudging his niece and motioning for the professor to join them. Ozpin lightly pulls the girl back, keeping her away from the hot chocolate that squirts up when Qrow punches a straw in the top. Her uncle bites down a curse. "Thanks."

"Of course." Ozpin pauses when the girl doesn't immediately go to Qrow. She smiles up at him, and something in the man softens.

"I like hot chocolate too," Ruby says seriously. "With milk!"

"Ah," Ozpin looks at her, amusement sparking in his eyes. "I can't say I'm fond of milk in it."

She pouts. "Then how did you grow?"

The hint of a smile crawls on his face again. "I ate my vegetables."

Ruby ponders that, letting her uncle pull her back to his side as Ozpin goes to get his order. She looks up at her uncle with all serious and deadpans, "Cookies are better than vegetables."

He cackles. "They really are."

"Will I be seeing you both later today?" Ozpin asks, coming back while sipping his drink.

"Just me," Qrow replies, making sure Ruby's seated at their table with her drink before giving his full attention to his old professor. "Ruby's being picked up by Mal, so I may be a little late, depending when she gets here."

The professor raises his eyebrows in good surprise. "I didn't know she was in Vale."

"Dragon Lady's been hanging around Danny's place," Qrow shrugs like it isn't a big deal. Ruby doesn't think the professor is impressed with her uncle. "Three more weeks and then everyone will scatter again."

"Yes, it is harsher this winter then it has been for some time." The professor sips his drink thoughtfully. "Though, these past weeks have calmed considerably."

Ruby frowns and hangs her head over her cup.

"Strange that," Qrow drawls.

"Ms. Rose?" Ozpin calls softly. Ruby looks up, still rather upset. She thinks he looks more curious than concerned, like he isn't sure how to differ between the two expressions. There is an unknown feeling seen in his eyes, one that calms her and makes her more worried. "Is the hot chocolate to your liking?"

She nods, huffing a breath and turning back to the drink.

"Kiddo?" Qrow urges quietly.

Ruby meets her uncle's eyes, and knows his concern is real. "The others aren't back."

Ozpin tilts his head, inquiring, while it takes Qrow a moment to process. Her uncle uncertainly asks, "Are you talking about the emergency on Patch?"

Ruby nods again.

"Ah," Qrow sends a sidelong look to his old professor, before turning back to his niece and rubbing her head. She squeaks, batting him away with a pout. "Don't worry; there are a lot of people working on bringing them home."

"That sounds like an interesting story," Ozpin remarks.

"Not mine to tell," Qrow replies, eyes shifting to the side. "Dragon Lady."

"Qrow," Mal deadpans back. She eyes the professor, who steps back and offers a brittle smile in return. "Ozpin. I would have thought you'd be teaching this time of day."

"Fieldtrip cancelled on account of the fifty foot snow drop-off," Ozpin replies back, just as coolly. "It's good to see you again, Mal."

"I'm sure," the demon says dryly, sliding into the seat across from Ruby. "This guy gives you any trouble, you tell me, hon."

Ruby shakes her head with wide eyes. "Mr. Ozpin has been really nice. He likes hot chocolate too!"

"I'm sure he'll be on his best behaviour for now," the woman scowls at him. Ruby catches the slight surprise on his face before he covers it up. Her aunt Mal then turns to Qrow, much more pleased. "Thanks for bringing her this far."

"Was coming here anyway," Qrow shrugs.

"And Yang?"

"Friend's house."

"Well, I must be going," Ozpin announces quietly, cane tapping on the ground a few times as he starts to move. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Rose."

"It was awesome to meet you too!" Ruby calls, waving.

His small smile comes and goes as he looks to the demon woman. "Mal. Please tell Danny I say hello."

"Tell her yourself," Mal says uncaringly. She flicks her fingers, cleaning the nails as she throws a half-hearted glare his way. "Not like you can't pick up a phone."

Instead of getting defensive, the man chuckles without humor. "I'm afraid she's still mad at me."

"So what?" Qrow shrugs. "Wouldn't be the first time. Seriously, Oz, call her already. She picks up for Raven, she'll pick up for you."

Ozpin nods, looking rather tired, before he straightens and looks expectantly at Ruby's uncle. "I do hope you'll be on time, Qrow."

The dark haired man flashes a cheeky smile. Ozpin sighs and nods his leave. Ruby keeps watching until he's out of sight, still curious why she feels nothing. The girl turns back to the adults, and immediately Mal tries to cheer Ruby up by telling embarrassing stories of the other demons.

"You'll be alright, right?" Qrow says warningly as they back up to leave, as though he blames anything and everything that will go wrong on Mal.

The woman just rolls her eyes, happily keeping Ruby close to her chest. "I won't drop her."

"And you won't let her freeze?" he glares.

Mal is several layers of unimpressed. "Would it make you feel better to touch my chest? So you know just how warm she'll be?"

"Is that a real offer?"

"We're leaving," Mal states, following through by walking away. "Wave goodbye to your uncle."

"Bye uncle Qrow!" Ruby waves frantically. "Miss you!"

He chuckles and waves back. Ruby turns back around and sits comfortably in her aunt's arms. She looks up at the woman, curious as to why they keep walking. "When are we going to fly?"

"When we're out of the city limit," Mal replies. The woman easily maneuvers around the streets at a brisk pace in heels, never once faltering on the ice and snow. "I don't particularly want to risk a newbie academy student trying to shoot us down so close to the Emerald Forest. You won't do that when you eventually make it to Beacon, _right_?"

"Of course not!" Ruby pouts.

"That's a relief," says a woman, startling Ruby. The girl blinks, eyes wide, and unsure why the mint-green haired demon seems a tiny bit familiar.

"Sustrai," Mal greet with a deadpan. "I thought I lost you ages ago."

"Merc found you around the shoe shop," Sustrai smirks while Mal grumbles. Red eyes meet silver, and the young demon makes a face. "Oh, uh, hey kid." Ruby smiles shyly and waves. "Right. Guess you're not in the mood to talk, are you Dragon Lady?"

"What was your first clue?" Mal drawls, shouldering Ruby in order to send a scathing glare at the other demon. "Apparently not the first time I ditched you, if you're still here."

"Alright, I'm going," Sustrai rolls her eyes but still keeps pace with them. Her mouth moves, blurring slightly so Ruby can't make out the name. "- wants you to stop by. Our sprites found something interesting in the nearby mountain range."

"Demoted to messenger after your failure?" Mal taunts.

Sustrai bristles and sneers, but Ruby doesn't feel any of the fear that's causing the humans walking around them to subconsciously give them a larger berth. It's rather interesting to watch people skirt around without a glance at the demons, like an instinct. Her attention goes back to the shorter demon slowly splitting off from them without retaliation. "Message delivered. Goodbye."

"It's so cute when they try to get prissy," Mal sighs and pats Ruby's head. "If you ever want to bother them, remind them of their past failures. Too bad Beacon isn't officially part of her territory. It's so much more fun antagonizing them on their home turf."

"That sounds mean," Ruby frowns, swatting at her aunt's hand and wondering why everyone is determined to mess up her hair today. "Don't bully other demons, aunt Mal."

"I'll do what I please," Mal shrugs. "I don't have any tiny underlings, so I need to trouble the other ones while they're young."

"What about Seraph?"

"He's too used to me," Mal pouts at the mention of the winged, Faunus demon in her legion. "It's no fun taunting him anymore."

Ruby settles down with a small shiver. "Why isn't aunty taking us?"

Mal makes a face. "She has friends in Mistral who asked for ward resets. That's why you're stuck with the long way like the rest of us, hon."

"Do you think she'll teach me, one day?" Ruby asks, perking up. Everyone always mentions wards, and she knows they're how weak demons and Grimm are kept out of the majority of cities. Stronger demons are harder to summon, and stronger Grimm are dealt with by hunters and huntresses before they can reach the borders. The problem with wards is that they need to be refreshed or redone anywhere from a week to a year at a time. There are very few ward masters in the world, on either side of the Divide, because it can take lifetimes of dedication to learn every single one.

Ruby wants to learn the super cool ones. Like the ones that turn water into bubbles or give bad people hiccups.

"Maybe one day," Mal says, showing just how disgusted she is at the thought. Ruby thinks the reason most demons dislike it when she mentions it is weird. Why can't demon summoners also be ward masters? Neo was supportive when she mentioned it. Torchwick was supportive in his own, special, sarcastic way. "Hey, you still awake, Ruby?"

"Yah," the little girl blinks and realizes they're walking through the forest, city limits behind them.

"I'm going to start flying now," Mal warns, hugging the girl tightly to her chest. "Arms in and hold onto my shirt. It's going to get cold, so don't move too much while we're in the air."

"Okay," Ruby obliges and balls up against her aunt. She darts her eyes around, trying to catch a glimpse of the transformation. She sees the ends of leathery wings grow and unfold, feels hands thicken and fingers turn into claws softly holding her back. The visible skin on her aunt turns a scaly black-green, and long hair shifts as large horns sprout at the top of the woman's head. By now, eyes must be completely black and teeth too sharp to be anything but a predator's. A rumble starts in her aunt's chest, loosening into a roar, and then they are flying.

Ruby closes her eyes as the wind rushes by. She keeps her head close to the furnace that is her aunt's chest and just listens and thinks.

There is a story about the Dragon Lady; and about how that was not always her nickname. Mal was not always Mal. She is a human demon, but was mistaken as Faunus because of the wings coming and going on her back in mid-transformation. Dragon wings would never disappear, tattooing the mark of one of the demon's royal lineage. The transformation is an extra, coming from an ancestor with magic and passed down to children from there. The wings were an extra that let them fly outside of complete dragon form. Then the Great War started to spread to the demon side, and Mal's wings were almost, like those of other dragon royals, cut off to protect her.

At the moment, Ruby does not know of any other demons with the – full or partial – ability to transform into a dragon. The story of her aunt Mal's nickname is a bedtime story demons will share, though nobody knows the full truth except her two, full-demon aunts. The story goes that Mal one day exploded – _"regained all her memories," Danny would explain with a shuttering look_ – and turned into a dragon within seconds. As it was on Danny's land in the human side of the Divide, the shorter woman was able to drag her charge to the demon side through pure force of will – _"those guys are exaggerating; I just moved too fast for them to follow"_ – where the dragon rampaged and raged for three whole human/Faunus side-of-the-world days. In those days, not one of Vale's demons was to be seen and not one would answer the call of a summoner.

Danny refuses to clear up the craters and holes in the ground, much to Mal's chagrin. The only time Ruby sees the Dragon Lady – the last dragon-changing demon of a long-thought to be extinct lineage – embarrassed is when they go to the crater-turned-skate-park.

What Ruby finds most interesting of all is that her aunt Mal's power is to put others to sleep when they touch objects she's selected. The girl likes to think her aunt put everyone to sleep in the demon world when she ka-boomed. No one will confirm or deny that thought, no matter how much she pesters.

Ruby jolts to awareness when they start the decent. The patch of turbulence clears fast, and all of the sudden the wind isn't as cold. It starts to get a little stifling just as Mal lands, running on the ground to slow. The girl tries to wiggle out of her aunt's arms, but misses the moment when the scales fade and wings disappear with a snap. Too bad; she really wants to see what the woman looks like when she starts to go dragon.

The sound of crashing jerks her away, and Ruby rushes to look around the side of the house. Mal sighs and follows.

"What is that?" Ruby gasps in awe.

Mal glares at the second story window shrouded in frozen vines, with a never ending fog hovering just beyond. "That, hon, is what happens when two seasons are fighting."

Ruby 'ooh's when the vines shake off the frost and grow bigger, shedding leaves and making new ones. "What do you mean?"

Mal tsks and leads the girl away. "Your other aunt put the Winter demon in the guest room. Think of it like being grounded."

"Wait," Ruby slows and turns large, unsure eyes at the dark haired demon. "The woman from Patch? Who kidnapped people?"

"Yes," Mal makes a face. "I had heard about that. Are you okay, Rubes?"

"I'm alright," Ruby mutters, glancing back for one last view of the window. "But, she took people. They're not alright."

"We'll get them back," _probably_ , Mal adds uncaringly in her head.

"Can I ask if she'll bring them back?" Ruby perks up and pleads.

"No," Mal replies flatly, locking the door to the house behind them. "I don't want you anywhere near that level of crazy."

"Are you talking about Ville?" Dolly asks, poking her head in. She waves at the little girl. "You can probably talk to her, but it's one of those no-one-goes-in, no-one-comes-out sorts of confinement so you'll have to stand at the door."

"And convince the vines to let you talk to her," Toby adds, scooping up the girl. Ruby squeals as he sits her on his shoulders. "But why would you want to talk to crazy Ville?"

"Because she took some people," Ruby says as though it's that easy. The Winter Maniac, Ville, took people she didn't own and she should give them back. That can mean a death sentence for some demons, so the woman should return them before whoever controls territory in Patch takes offence.

"Ah," Toby grimaces uneasily. "Well, she doesn't want to give them up, so we're just waiting for the seasons to change. Danny should be able to break into Ville's castle then."

"Break in?" Ruby mutters before the rest of the sentence registers. "Does aunty have a castle?"

"You're looking at it," her uncle Toby chuckles, nodding at the walls of the house. He sets her down on a kitchen chair and asks what she wants to do. The adults spend the rest of the day keeping her occupied, telling her to just ignore it when something slams on the second floor.

It's a little hard to ignore when she's trying to sleep. Ruby carefully pulls her blanket around her shoulders and puts her feet in slippers. She sneaks out of her room and down the winding halls to the door covered in vines. It's a bit strange to see, and even stranger when the vines shift to block her from knocking.

"I just want to ask her something," Ruby hisses grumpily. The vines pause, as if inquiring. One small one comes off to lightly push her back. "Hey, I won't go near. I just want to talk."

The vines stall again, and then shift a little to reveal gaps. The door is pushed open, and Ruby immediately shivers at the burst of cold air.

"What the- hey!" a woman shouts within the room. Ruby eases her grip on the blanket when the cold air recedes, and she gets as close as she can against the small vine. The room is filled with icicles and frost, and the green vines keeping the woman pinned against the window seat look really out of place. It strikes the girl odd that while her instincts scream this woman is a strong demon, she isn't scared. It's nothing like the last time she saw the Winter Maniac. "I am the ruler of Winter! How dare you try and restrain me- urck!"

"Ooh, yah…" Ruby winces at the vine squeezing around the demon's throat. She doesn't flinch under the unnaturally blue eyes, and it's still _really weird_. She resolves to ask just what happened that neutered the woman causing fear against her. "Auntie's plants don't like it when you yell at them."

The woman tries to say something, but the vines keep choking her.

Ruby winces, because that surely isn't healthy. "Sorry, um, you can probably let her go." The plants seem to disagree, but still to show they're listening. "She can't really answer me when she's choking." They still seem dissatisfied. "You can do whatever to her if she attacks again?"

Ruby smiles brightly when the plants pull away from the woman and slink threateningly outside the window. The Maniac takes a moment to recover, and then harrumphs and crosses her arms at the girl while not daring to move an inch away from the window seat. "I had that handled." Ruby gives her a confused look. "I did!"

"Alright," the girl's shoulders hunch under the blankets and the vines shake menacingly behind the woman. The Winter Maniac gulps, but doesn't do much then lessen her sneer. "Um, so, you remember being in Patch a few weeks ago?"

"Of course," the demon growls, eyes glowing in the darkness as she fists her rumpled dress. "It's what got me into this mess."

"Uh, yah, well," Ruby ducks her head because that is easier than confronting an adult stranger. This would have been so easier to ask of the other adults in the house. "I was there…"

"Oh," the woman chokes, because now this makes a lot of sense. "I see."

"…and I was wondering if you could return everyone?" Ruby risks a glance, and then is back to staring at the floor because no way can she explain her thoughts to the disgusted face staring at her. "It's just, we really miss them back on Patch, and I know you didn't make any deals with them so you took them illegally, and I'm sure aunty hates keeping you here 'cause you keep attacking her plants so if you just let everyone go you can go back to doing… er, ruler things?"

There is a heartbeat of silence before the demon deadpans, "listen, kid. I'm not handing over my new things. I hadn't even gotten to play with them before Spring Time decided to knock me out and toss me in here like some kind of misbehaving child. Also, for your accusation of me stealing, let me set you straight. The demons around Patch _do not care_. I'm sure they'd be _glad_ to see you all gone. I was doing the island a favour plucking people off it. So get off your high-horse, and learn to deal with the fact that those people under my reign? _They're_ _never coming back_."

Ville leans back all smug-like, until she hears the first sniff. The whole world seems to go silent, except for the small girl crying and wiping her eyes with the thin blanket draped around her shoulders. The woman can barely see as the vines shift to hide most of the human, but it's enough to understand the girl's still trying to be brave while facing off against a high-ranked demon. Ville's hands go to clench the edge of the window seat just in time to steady as the wide, sparkling eyes of the girl meet the eyes of a woman finally releasing her hold on her magic for the first moment since she gathered it.

The silver-eyed girl asks, "Why? Why won't you return them?"

Ville can hear her child-self asking her original legion's leader, _"Why are they here?"_

' _Because I need them'_ is on the tip of her tongue. It's too much like someone else's answer that she can't say it. Not now. Without the powers filling her, making her _scream_ for vengeance and chaos, she remembers the time when stealing humans and Faunus was legal. Of course, that was the time the demon's death count got its highest. That's when she thought stealing only brought pain, and it was better to deal than risk death. Her parents _died_ to meet the quota set by their leader.

"I'm going to be sick," Ville mutters.

Ruby watches with worry as the demon leans out the window and makes retching noises. The girl wipes away the last of her tears and then rubs her nose on the blanket. She waits until the demon's settled before asking, "Are you alright?"

"You shouldn't care," is the scratchy reply. The woman lulls her head against the cool pain, blinking blearily at the girl as she fights not to start crying too. "If you leave and, and go wake up the dog, I promise I'll return your people."

"Really?" Ruby perks up, not believing but wanting to _so badly_.

"I will," the woman says. Then she goes with her impulse because she needs the girl to trust her, and in turn get somebody to let her fix this mess, and this is the easiest way. "I, _Delia Nuova Ville_ , apologize to the girl in this house my actions have hurt. In Winter, you shall be protected for as long as I stand the holder of its power."

Ruby blinks, very unsure why the vines separate to give her more of a view of the demon. "Um, I appreciate it?"

The demon nods. "Now, go get the dog."

"…Uncle Toby…?"

"Yes," the demon huffs, putting on an annoyed front to hide her shaken inside. _What has she done?_ "Go."

The vines close up and the door shuts, and Ruby blinks. Then she smiles, because _thank goodness_ , everyone is coming back to Patch! She practically skips down to hall, blanket trailing behind her like a cloak. When her _very concerned_ aunts and uncle ask how she managed to convince the locked-up demon to ease up on her stance of _never returning the people_ _mwah ha ha_ , Ruby explains what happened – minus the crying – and leaves them no less confused and concerned for her safety. It is early morning when Toby phones his adopted sister and demands she check Ruby for anything harmful.

Danny listens to Ruby's story, humming and nodding along to let the girl know she understands. After a clear bill of health – _"it's not a curse; more like a couple extra months of complete protection from the Grimm and things"_ – Danny carries the girl up the stairs and leads her to a secret place.

"I've been in your room before, aunty," Ruby pouts as she's set down on the bed.

"You have," Danny agrees, moving a desk to the side to reveal a hidden cubby. "And I know I've shown you the other secret- wait, have I shown you the other secret cupboard?" The little girl shakes her head negatively. "Oh, well, I do show you eventually. This one," she pulls open the door to reveal a corked bottle with something sitting in its middle, "is the secret of what you can get when you have Winter Maiden powers."

Ruby frowns and hops off the bed. Her aunt takes out the bottle and shows her the tiny, marble-like ball inside. "It doesn't look very impressive."

"It isn't, until it's out of the bottle," Danny chuckles and puts it back. Ruby notices the cupboard falls away and melds with the wall.

"How'd you get it, if it's for Winter?" Ruby frowns and allows herself to be dropped back on the bed.

"A lot of cameras," Danny says sagely. "It took way too long to learn how to teleport objects without going with them, and even longer to learn how to do it when I don't know the destination. But, I didn't show you this for nothing." Danny bends down to get even height with the girl. "Ruby, what do you think about ruling the world?"

The girl ponders it for a long moment before scrunching her nose in distaste. "I think it would be a lot of work."

"Yes it would," Danny nods and chuckles. "Would you like to rule to world?"

"No," is the immediate answer. Ruby strikes a pose. "I want to be a huntress!"

Danny smiles and stands, and then flops on the bed and drags the girl with her. Ruby squeals and tries to break free, before slumping like dead weight.

"You'll be a great huntress," Danny says as she draws circles on the girl's head. "But if you ever change your mind, go ahead and take one of my secrets. Just remember, no telling anyone."

Ruby giggles and promises.

When she's arrived back to Patch, greeting everyone who went missing makes the information slip to the back of her mind and leaves it mostly forgotten.

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks for reading! Hope people enjoy this.**

 **Thank you, WolvesRock14, for your review! Yep, you got it! I'm glad you're interested, and there's going to be a lot more action when Ruby's older so sorry if this felt a bit… lackluster of a conclusion. I really hope you enjoyed, and thank you again for reviewing!**

 **Thank you, Littlest1, for your review! Ruby really is a sweetheart; others can worry about strangers and bad guys for her. Thank you again for your review, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

 **Thank you, MoonShadowPup, for your review! I'm so glad to hear! Sadly, Roman's not going to adopt her, but there's a grandfather-ish feel so he'll look out for her… when he can. Thank you so much for your review, and I hope you enjoyed!**

 **Thank you, Jinx2309, for your review! I really appreciate hearing that. Thank you so, so much for your review, and I really hope you enjoy the story as it comes!**

 **Thank you, Guest, for your review! Glad to hear, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

 **Thank you, TheParadoxicalOxymoron, for your reviews! Not just for reviewing this story, but my others as well. It really means a lot, and thank you so much. Oscar (the newest Oz? still unsure how that's going to go in the show) will definitely show up because I'm a quiet RoseGarden shipper, but it's going to be a while. Again, thank you so much for all of your reviews, and I really hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

 **Thank you, rwby ladybug enabler whiterose, for your review! Awesome to hear! Thank you so much for reviewing, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

 **Happy Winter everyone**


End file.
